Tactical Legacy: Volume 1: The Age of Akaneia
by GuyWithNoName
Summary: When a young boy joins a fallen prince on his quest to restore his kingdom from a sinister empire, few would realize that his actions would be the beginning of... a legacy. The Akaneian Saga, mostly from the eyes of a simple villager turned soldier.
1. A Prince in Exile

_**DISCLAIMER**: Fire Emblem is the property of Nintendo and Intelligent Systems. I only own the OC in this story._

_**SUMMARY**: It is a dark time in Akaneia, as the tyrannical empire of Doluna makes its occupation known throughout the continent. It falls upon Marth - the prince of the fallen kingdom of Altea - and his men to reclaim their homeland and destroy the empire. It will not be an easy task, but I'll do everything in my power to lend a hand…_

_This story will (hopefully) cover both Books 1 and 2 of the Akaneian saga of Fire Emblem (That's FE1/3/11/12 for those wondering). I will likely stick to the plot of the original games, but some elements from the remakes may appear as well._

_I'm doing this story because I have yet to see many novelizations of the Akaneian timeline, and that is a crying shame since I find that this timeline is pretty underrated among the fandom... but that's just me._

_Alright, enough ranting. Let's get this story going already… =P_

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**PROLOGUE**

**A Prince in Exile**

_Long ago… the continent of Akaneia suffered a hostile takeover by the Doluna Empire._

_The king of manakete, Medeus, was the one who led the onslaught. Under his rule, despair and fear ran wild throughout the land. Even the Holy Kingdom of Akaneia was torn asunder from the Shadow Dragon's frightening power._

_But then… when the hour of doom seemed imminent, a miracle occurred._

_A young man hailing from the region of Altea would rise up and challenge the Shadow Dragon. His name… was Anri._

_With the power of the divine sword, Falchion, he was ultimately successful in striking down Medeus and subsequently destroying the evil empire._

_Soon, the Kingdom of Akaneia was restored, and several other countries would follow Altea's example by rebuilding in their own way._

_Unfortunately, this peace only proved to be a temporary respite…_

_After a century's passing, Medeus would return. Thanks to the neighboring kingdoms of Grust and Medon, the Doluna Empire was restored from its ruins. To make things worse, Medeus would later join forces with a sinister sorcerer from Khadein named Gharnef, who shared the dragon king's vile ambition of world conquest. _

_Knowing that death and destruction were once again on the horizon, Cornelius – the current king of Altea, and descendant of the legendary hero – ventured off to defeat the Dragon of Darkness. With the holy sword of light in his possession, few doubted that he would succeed in his mission. _

XXXXXXXXXX

*sigh*

"Mom… Dad… I hope you're alright out there."

Shaking my head, I turned away from the view outside my window. It had been 12 days since mom and dad were requested to accompany King Cornelius in his campaign against Doluna's forces. I was expecting to receive a letter notifying me of their current situation, but I had yet to receive any word from them. Obviously, this worried me greatly…

Oh, right… I should probably introduce myself.

My name is Christopher Derek Mordoff, but I prefer just being referred to as Chris. Right now, I'm only 13 years old, but I will be turning 14 in a couple of days. I live with my mother and father in a village not too far from the castle called Sera.

As for my family, my father works as a mercenary and he is usually hired by the king with defending the kingdom when the need arises. Meanwhile, my mother was a cleric in charge of healing the wounded in the military. My family and I were taken care of pretty well, considering that my grandfather, Malledus Woodson Mordoff, is a close friend of the king. As such, it was only natural that we would earn His Majesty's trust…

On occasion, I visited my grandfather at the castle, and helped out around there doing what meager chores there were to do. I never said much to the knights of the castle, but I was lucky enough to get to know the children of Altea's royal family, Prince Marth and Princess Elice. I was able to make quick friends with both of them, and our families couldn't have been any happier… heh. They weren't like most royalty I had heard about, so the fact that I was able to socialize with them was a welcome surprise.

Anyways, I spent my time watching over the house, and just looking out for any letters to arrive. But then the sound of hooves galloping filled the air.

I glanced outside my window to see what was going on…

From the gates, I witnessed knights clad in grey armor charge through the gates. Those that stayed behind to defend the village were cut down without mercy. Homes were destroyed, and many lives were being cut short out there… but that wasn't what shocked me.

No… what surprised me was that these knights were from Gra! But why are they doing this? Aren't they supposed to be our ally?

I was jarred from my thoughts as the sound of these knights smashing the front door open caught my attention. If I didn't get out of there soon, I was finished!

I took out a dagger, a gift from my father, from under my pillow. Hiding it in my sleeve, I quickly leaped out the window and hurried off to the now thoroughly smashed village gates. Using the bushes and ruined homes as cover, I quietly managed to slip outside the village without being detected by the soldiers that rode through.

Thank goodness Gra's soldiers are inept at catching stragglers…

"I have to tell grandpa… what happened. No time to waste…"

After catching my breath, I hustled on to Castle Altea, hopping over fallen soldiers and dodging weapons as I ran. The one thing driving me was the chance that my grandfather was still around. Unfortunately, the castle had also fallen under Gra's ambush, and by the time I was at the castle gates, I was accosted by an armored knight bearing Gra's crest…

"Ha! Another straggler? Well, His Majesty DID say not to let anyone inside! Time to die, you little twat!"

I froze up as he readied his lance. Is this how it was all going to end for me…?

"Get down now!"

Huh?

Turning quickly, I witnessed a red-haired knight with armor to match his hair color ride onto the scene. Despite looking in pretty bad shape from his injuries, he rose up a javelin and aimed for the knight. I quickly complied with his order and hit the dirt as the javelin sailed over me and nailed the knight right in the chest, felling him in seconds.

Once I got back up, I looked back to the cavalier…

"Thanks, sir. I thought he had me for a second."

"Think nothing of it-" He stopped when he saw who I was…

"You… you're Sir Malledus' grandson, aren't you?"

I hesitantly replied, "Er… yes I am, sir knight. I wanted to find my grandfather and tell him what happened to my village…"

"I see…" he answered, "If that's the case, ride with me. I can get you inside the castle faster."

Wasting no time, I nodded and got on his horse. We rode on into the castle as the knight called out to the prince…

"Prince Marth! Where are you? Sire, please answer me!"

A faint shouting was heard off to the west… so the knight rode in that direction. Once we reached the source of the noise, Prince Marth himself, I decided to get off the horse.

Marth addressed the knight, "Cain? Aren't you supposed to be in Gra? Why have you returned without-"

The prince stopped when he noticed the knight's open cuts…

Heck, I was amazed he was able to take me with him this whole time…

"Yow, those wounds!" Marth exclaimed.

The knight, Cain, ignored it however, "Thank goodness you still live, sire. I feared I'd be unable to deliver this messa… argh…"

Gee, those injuries look serious.

An elderly knight in purple armor spoke up, "Sire, we can't linger here any longer. Healing Cain's injuries will have to wait until we can get out of the castle."

Reluctantly, Marth nodded, and the paladin turned to address the red-armored knight, "Cain, I trust you can put off bleeding to death a little while longer…?"

Cain managed a weak grin, "Of course, Commander Jeigan… I aim to please…"

As we made our exit, Marth finally noticed my presence.

"Chris? What are you doing here?" he asked, surprise in his voice.

I turned back to the prince and answered, "Ah… it was Gra, Prince Marth. My village was destroyed and I hadn't received any word from my family out on the battlefield yet. It's only thanks to Cain that I was able to get inside."

"I see… so you were looking for Malledus to inform him of what happened. Is that correct?" he inquired as he put it all together.

I nodded, "That's right… but if Gra managed to take over, I hope grandpa made it out okay…"

The paladin, Jeigan, told me, "I'm sure Sir Malledus will be fine, Christopher. Now we must make haste!"

I nodded and hurried forth with the rest of the company, hoping to myself that my grandfather is still alive.

XXXXXXXXXX

Whew… that was a close one. It took a little work, but we were now a safe distance away from the castle. After having Cain's wounds treated, we decided to stop for a short while before continuing our getaway.

"Cain, you should rest. Your wounds must be serious." Marth told the knight, but he waved it off casually.

"What, these scratches? The only thing that's wounded is my pride, sire." His expression turned serious after he said those words…

"In any case, we need to talk, and it involves my reason for returning here…"

Everyone turned to the red-armored cavalier, awaiting what he had to say…

"Sire…" he began, "I… I am to deliver His Majesty's last words to you…"

All our eyes went wide at this. We couldn't believe what we had just heard. King Cornelius was beaten? It couldn't be!

"Last words… then that means…" Marth sputtered.

I was still in shock, unable to believe what he just said.

Cain continued, "My condolences too, sire. At the very least,the king died valiantly on the battlefield, but the traitors took the divine Falchion sword and spared none of our remaining men…"

My fear for my family's lives grew tenfold at Cain's briefing. If what he said was true, then…

No… I refuse to believe their gone. They've got to be out there still…

"So that means all of them are gone… father too…" Marth pondered aloud…

Cain spoke up once again, "His last words were as follows: 'Tell my son that the future of Altea and our continent is in his hands now. As the true heir to the Falchion, he must rise now where I have fallen and… follow his destiny.'"

I could see that this was a lot to take in for the prince. It took a while before he spoke again, "Father… I… I will try."

Whatever composure Cain had left, it fell apart soon after Marth finished…

"…Sire, I… this is unbearable! I failed to defend His Majesty, I fled like a coward and left my comrades to their fate… this indignity will plague me to no end! One day, I will repay them in kind. I swear by my honor as a knight, my brethren will be avenged!"

Marth nodded, "You speak for the both of us, Cain. Let us punish them together when the time comes. Gra, Doluna… all of them will pay for their transgressions!"

I could only nod as they said this. If Gra or Doluna had robbed me of my parents, then I wanted to make them suffer long and hard…

Then Jeigan called me over, "Christopher… do you intend to come with us? It's going to be dangerous…"

I nodded, "All I can do is hope that we can meet up with grandpa somehow. I can take care of myself if the situation calls for it."

And it looks like it WAS going to call for that. It turned out that Gra had some soldiers lying about to stop anyone from entering or leaving the castle…

Marth took notice of our surroundings, "Hm… Elice will have trouble trying to escape with all of these soldiers. We should capture that fort across the water and stop any reinforcements at its source."

"Sounds like a good plan, sire." I nodded, "Well, let's get moving!"

For the most part, we kept to the trees, opting more towards sneaking around Gra's flunkies rather than facing them head on. I did manage to surprise a few soldiers, felling them with sneak attacks from my dagger, but most of the heavy fighting was left to the knights…

Once we routed most of the enemies in the field, we were successful in capturing the fort…

"Good… the fort's ours now." I muttered. Then I heard approaching footsteps from the south…

Wait… that elderly man…

Grandpa!

"Grandpa, you're okay!" I rushed toward him and gave him a hug, thankful he was still alive…

"Christopher!" he smiled as he hugged back. Once we released one another, he spoke again…

"You gave me quite a scare, lad. I tried looking for you in the village, but it was already destroyed by the time I arrived…"

"Funny you say that, actually…" I replied, scratching my head, "I tried to find you in the castle, but it was under attack. I was hoping I could see you again if I joined up with the prince and his men…"

Grandpa nodded, and then a thought came to me. Grandpa was close to the king, so surely he must know all that went on in the campaign he led...

"You… haven't heard anything from mom and dad, have you?"

I wasn't sure, but I thought I saw him hesitate slightly before he answered, "No… I haven't, Christopher. Not yet, at least…"

"Well… if you say so." I replied.

Blast it, I would've thought he'd know something. I was always close to my parents, so I wasn't sure what I would do if Mom and Dad were gone.

As I continued mulling over my thoughts, Marth came up from behind me…

"Malledus! You made it!" he said, but then he noticed something was off…

"Wait a minute… where is my sister? Is she safe somewhere?"

At this, my grandfather shook his head…

"Princess Elice will not be coming with us. She's decided to stay at the castle to give us time to get away…"

As soon as Marth heard this, he tried to head back for her, but grandpa stopped him.

"Hold, sire! Where are you going?"

"Where do you think!" the prince snapped.

"Sire, stop this!" Malledus exclaimed, "Do you not see why the princess had to lie to you to ensure your getaway? It's because you're the future of Altea and the entire world!"

This stopped Marth in his tracks. It seems he's beginning to acknowledge just what his father intended for him…

"I… I'm our future…" he sputtered out. Grandpa tried to encourage him to continue…

"Prince Marth, you have to live on." he told him, "I know it hurts now, but we will be back. We'll take back the kingdom and we'll make her aggressors pay for their actions, but to do that you must live on. The fate of our kingdom and the whole world is in your hands now…"

"It looks like my life is no longer mine to hazard now…" Marth pondered aloud.

Malledus nodded, "The blood of the great hero Anri flows through your veins, sire. As the son of House Akaneia and sole heir to the Falchion, you're the only one left to stand against Medeus, emperor of Doluna. Were it my choice, I would've let you choose your own path in life… but it seems your path has chosen you now…"

Marth was left to his thoughts on this matter. I could only look on as he took all of this in…

Being chosen for an ordeal like this… it's tough to take on when one isn't ready. Of course, these current circumstances are certainly not helping anything.

XXXXXXXXXX

It had been about 3 days since we continued our escape from the fallen kingdom. Our rations were beginning to run dry by this point, and our weapons weren't in very good shape either. Malledus was going over a plan to make our escape to another kingdom far to the east, and all of us were listening…

"Sire? Sire, are you listening!"

Well, except for the prince. I couldn't blame him, though. With all he's gone through, I'd find it pretty hard to pay attention as well…

"Oh… sorry, Malledus…" he muttered.

"Sire, you must get a hold of yourself. You can grieve all you like, but our pursuers will not be moved. We must continue moving, and we can't waste any time!" Malledus told the prince.

"I… I'm sorry" Marth replied, "It's just that these thoughts are hard to ignore…"

"That is understandable, my prince, but we must follow this plan exactly." Malledus began to lay out our escape route…

"From here, we must move out of Altea and board a ship en route to the kingdom of Talys. The king there was a great friend to your father, and as such it was Princess Elice's wish that you find refuge in that kingdom if something were to happen…"

A pained look shot through Marth's eyes as he pondered this…

"The boat I sent for should be here by now," Malledus continued, "but we will need to cut through a nearby prison to reach it…"

"Shouldn't be too much of a problem." The green-armored cavalier, Abel, commented, "Let's move before we get caught!"

Once again, we snuck towards the prison, taking out all the guards at the entrance. I approached the door to open it, but…

"Mmph! Grr…"

… it wouldn't budge.

"Er… does anyone have a key?" I asked…

Fortunately, my grandpa came across one on the way here. Taking the key, I managed to unlock the door, and we went inside to find an archer waiting for us!

"Mrrph! Hrrmph!"

Well, actually he was gagged and tied up. Knowing who he was, I released him from his bonds and directed him to Marth.

"You alright, Gordin?" I asked.

"Yeah… thanks, Chris."

"It's a good thing you're unharmed." Marth put in, "But we can't afford to tarry here anymore. Stay somewhere safe and-"

"But I can still fight, sire!" Gordin interrupted, "I would be honored to fight at your side… but I will need a bow."

"Not a problem, Gordin." Another cavalier, I think was called Frey, told the archer. He reached into his bag and handed him an iron bow.

Suddenly, from not too far away, heavy rattling armor made enough noise to draw my attention westward. Wondering what all that noise was, I looked out the window of the prison, and my heart began to race in horror…

"Uh… grandpa? We've got trouble coming in from the west…" I gulped.

Malledus looked out another window and his eyes widened…

"No! Anri help us… Gra's main force has arrived, and they have the knights of Grust's Sable Order with them as well!" he exclaimed.

"Grust's Sable Order…" I muttered, "Only Medon's Dragoons are equal in terms of fighting power."

It was painfully obvious. In our current state, we stood no chance if we were to try and fight them or sneak past them…

"Then… is there no way to get past them?" Marth questioned fearfully.

"Well…" Malledus began, "There may be one way."

"And what's that?" I questioned.

"We'll need a decoy to stay behind as the enemy begins to catch up." He faced Marth, "Sire, you're the one being targeted. If one of your men were to stay behind disguised as you, then that should fool the enemy and give us enough time to get away."

"But Malledus," Marth questioned, "How will he find his way back to us?"

My grandfather shook his head solemnly…

"Sire, there is a high chance that he won't be coming back. As painful as it may be, there's no other way…"

From the looks of things, Marth was finding this a bitter pill to swallow…

"Allow me, sire." Frey spoke up. "I will give you all time to make your escape."

"But Frey! There must-" Marth would've continued his protests had the cavalier not interrupted him.

"Count this knight honored to die in the service of his prince." Frey spoke solemnly, "Live and grow strong… sire."

And with that, he rode away…

"Frey! No!" Marth tried to go after him, but was stopped by Malledus.

"I'm sorry, my prince. We need to keep going…"

"Keep going? But Frey will die if we leave him out there…!"

"If he will, then why would you be so selfish as to let his death amount to nothing? No… we must honor his life and his choice. We need to keep pressing onward…"

It took a few minutes for him to calm down, but Marth finally gave his answer, "Alright… I'll honor him. I will go…"

Now we made haste to the north, where an Altean armored knight was waiting for us.

"Over here, sire! Quickly!" the knight called to us.

"Draug? What are you doing out here?" Marth questioned.

The knight, Draug, answered, "Sir Malledus sent word to have a vessel prepared for our escape."

As we continued to discuss our escape route, I heard another voice call out from the ship…

"Draug, sir! The enemy has crossed the border from the west! They'll be upon us soon!"

I looked up to see that it was a female archer. Draug turned to address her…

"We'll be on at once!" he turned back to Marth, "Sire, this is Norne. She caught wind of our struggles and she wishes to fight for Altea."

"'Tis an honor, prince Marth, but by your leave, it'd be best to save all the curtsy-bobbin' for another time. Quickly, let's go now!" the archer, Norne, said quickly.

With no further delay, we boarded the ship and set sail, grateful that they gave up the chase…

XXXXXXXXXX

It was only a couple of hours since we got on the ship to reach the island kingdom of Talys…

Many sacrifices and losses had to be made to guarantee our safety. Marth's sister was forced to stay behind, his father was slain by Gra, and he was forced to say goodbye to one of his loyal subjects…

I didn't escape the flames of this war either. My home was utterly destroyed, and the whereabouts of my parents still eluded me as well…

Now I spent my time inside one of the holds of the ship. I just sat there, wondering what I was to do now…

Did I even have a future anymore…?

*KNOCK* *KNOCK*

"It's open…" I called out to whoever it was…

The door opened and Malledus, my grandfather, came into my cabin…

"Oh… hello grandpa." I muttered.

"Christopher… I have something I need to give you…" he told me. He reached into his pocket and gave me a letter…

"It was from your mother and father. One of the messengers who gave me this told me not to give this note to you until we could make it to a safe place…"

"What? But why…?" I asked.

"Because there was the chance that neither of us would survive Altea's fall…"

Well, I hated to admit that, but they had a point. If grandpa died, then I wouldn't have known about this letter. If I died, then the message wouldn't have any purpose then...

"Open the letter and read it…" he told me.

Anxiety taking hold, I hastily opened the letter and read what it had to say…

_To our son, Christopher Derek Mordoff…_

_If you are reading this, then it means that we have fallen in battle helping our king. It pains us to know that we will not be alive to see you grow up into a fine, upstanding man, but such is the way of fate, and we cannot do anything to counter it…_

_Now listen carefully, son… before our time comes, we've heard that a sinister mage dragon was to come to Altea once it's been taken over. His brutality and hatred for humankind knows no limits, and we fear that we won't be able to survive combat with him. All we know about his kind is that magic will have no effect whatsoever against him…_

_Our last wish is that you travel with prince Marth and your grandfather Malledus on their journey. Just as we had served his majesty, we hope that you may find a way to serve his son in whatever way you can. Although these times are fraught with peril, we have faith in you… and we believe you will go on to do great things in life._

_Take courage and never give up! We'll always watch over you… our son._

_- Sebastian and Elizabeth Mordoff_

I couldn't stop the tears from flowing from my eyes when I finished reading.

Mom… Dad… they were gone. I couldn't believe it…

"N-No… my parents…" I choked out, "Why…? Why did it have to come to this…?"

"Christopher…" I heard grandpa say to me…

"This isn't right…" I cried, "How could… why did… ah…"

It was all too much for me to bear. At that point, I briefly considered that this was what Marth must've felt when he had to escape from his own kingdom…

I lost my home… my parents… was I to lose my future as well?

It took several minutes before I could stifle my sobs… and once I had calmed myself (barely), I heard grandpa speak…

"Christopher… I know how hard this must be for you, but you have to be strong now. Your mother and father would not want you to give into despair like this. They want you to stay alive… so that you may have a better future ahead of you."

I heard what he told me… and I remembered what was written on the letter.

They were right. I need to live on… for them now.

"Thank you… grandfather." I muttered, tears still falling. He simply smiled and squeezed my shoulder in support.

As Malledus went to the exit, I called out to him…

"Grandpa!"

"Yes, Christopher?"

"Uhm… if it's not too much trouble, could you teach me what you know about war tactics…?"

Malledus pondered before answering…

"Alright, grandson. I will show you what you need to know, so that you too can guide prince Marth to victory in the coming struggles. I must warn you, however, that it won't be easy. You must be prepared for what I will teach you."

"Thanks…" I muttered in reply. He nodded and left the cabin.

I looked back outside as the now fallen kingdom of Altea disappeared off in the horizon. If I'm going to be traveling with the prince and his knights, I need to do something to make myself useful for him now. I must be prepared for the danger we will face in the future.

I made a vow from that day forth…

While I serve as a vassal to the prince, I will grow strong… strong enough to destroy that mage dragon that slew my mother and father. He will pay in blood for taking them from me…

And one day…

One day, we will be back…

One day, we'll take back our homeland, and we will destroy the Doluna Empire once again, just as Anri himself did 100 years ago…

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER**

_And so concludes the prologue of this story… meager as it may be._

_For those wondering, the last name Mordoff is actually a play on Malledus' Japanese name: Morodof. So now you know… =P_

_If you've got any reviews, suggestions, or any other commentary you want to add, don't hesitate to do so…_

_Until next time, farewell…_


	2. Pirate Invasion

_**DISCLAIMER:**__ I do not own Fire Emblem or any of its elements. I only own the OC in this story._

_**REVIEW FEEDBACK**_

_**Gunlord500: **__Yeah, I kinda think the Akaneian Saga needs more love. LOL. I'll do my best to make my character as balanced as I can. Although, not much info is given on Malledus canonically and I just wanted to have a little fun with the aspect of 'My Unit' at the time, so sometime in the future, I may end up rewriting some parts in some way (at least as far as his name is concerned anyways). In any case, thank you for the advice! :D_

_**Mark of the Asphodel: **__Not a problem. I'll try and work your suggestions into the stories…_

_**Nanospeed: **__Heh, actually I should be thanking you and many others! The stories I've seen are what's getting me going on this project! XD_

_Besides, if we were to compete, you'd win for sure. =P_

_**END REVIEW FEEDBACK**_

_Thank you all for your reviews, everyone. I'll do my best and see where this story goes…_

_Alright everyone, it's time for another chapter…_

_

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**CHAPTER 1**

**Pirate Invasion**

_While Marth might have lost his kingdom and nearly all of his sworn men to Doluna, he was at least fortunate enough to hold onto his life._

_After a long voyage of 13 days, we finally made it to the eastern island kingdom of Talys. Located off in the frontier, this small nation was fairly recent in its creation and had no notable order of knights to call her own._

_Nonetheless, King Mostyn selflessly allowed us to use the fortress off to the east, so that one day we would rise up to take back Altea from Doluna's tyrannical grip._

_I did notice that Marth was still feeling broken up from all the circumstances that he had to go through, and I shared his sentiments wholeheartedly, but thankfully the king was there to give him some sage advice…_

XXXXXXXXXX

"Prince Marth…" the king began, "I have no doubts that you fear for your sister's well-being…"

Marth, still shaken from all that he had gone through, stayed silent as King Mostyn continued on…

"…but you're not yet ready to face the empire. The time will come when you can rise up again and do battle with Doluna's forces, but until then, you must take the time to train yourself so that you will be ready for the challenges that lie ahead…"

"I understand… Your Majesty." Marth replied, "I will do as you say, and hone my skills. Then… when the time comes, I will be prepared to face them all."

Having nothing else to say, the king nodded and we took our leave from the castle.

However, on the way out, I noticed a girl who looked to be about the same age as Marth. She approached the prince slowly…

"Lord Marth…" she spoke softly, "Did you just finish meeting with father?"

Ah… this must be Sheeda. I did recall hearing that King Mostyn had a daughter. I guess this must be her…

Marth's only response to her question was a short nod…

"I see…" she replied.

As we made our way out of the castle foyer, I still couldn't help but overhear the rest of the conversation…

"Marth… I am sorry for all that has happened to you and your home. Just know that if you need anything at all, the citizens of Talys will be here for you… as will I." she told him.

"I… Thank you, Sheeda." The prince answered back.

Well… at least we'll be protected here while we hide out in this area.

Along the way to the fort to the east, I stopped by the local village and decided to have a look around. Maybe I could get a few things since I'll be staying here for a while…

I checked my wallet… huh, 1200 gold. Guess now is as good a time as any to see what I can afford with my savings…

Aside from learning military strategies from grandpa, I also remembered what commander Jeigan told me on the way here…

***FLASHBACK STARTS NOW***

"_Okay, so… if a cavalier were to come under attack from a ridersbane, then they should retreat immediately. Is that about right?" I asked as I moved a knight piece on a chess board._

"_That is correct, Christopher. The same holds true for armorslayers and armored knights. Never send a unit into situations where they could come under attack from weapons designed for slaying horses, slicing through armor, or other unfavorable conditions." My grandfather told me. His next move involved taking his queen and placing it right where it could attack my king… and it effectively left it with no escape._

"_Checkmate."_

_I sighed and shook my head. Geez, this is a lot to remember._

"_You're getting slightly better, grandson. Don't get discouraged now…" he chuckled as he ruffled my hair…_

_Putting away the game, I decided to go back to my cabin and go to sleep, but along the way I was stopped by Jeigan, commander of the knights._

"_Ah, Christopher… I've been looking for you for some time now…"_

"_Sorry…" I scratched my head, "I was busy discussing tactics with grandpa, so…"_

"_That's quite alright, lad. Now come… I must tell you something." He motioned for me to follow him, and so I did. He led me to his cabin, and motioned for me to sit down in one of the chairs._

"_Now then…" he began, "Since you'll be joining us on our quest, you will need to learn how to fight if you're going to battle by our side. That dagger you hold may be useful for infiltrating and stealth, but this is a war we'll eventually have to fight in, so you're going to need a proper weapon to use in battle…"_

"_I understand, sir."_

"_Do you have any preferences as far as armaments are concerned?" he questioned._

_I thought carefully about this question. Hm…_

***FLASHBACK ENDS NOW***

Right then… I need a good sword.

Fortunately, there was an armory a little to the west of the gates. I went inside…

"Whatcha lookin' for, kid?" The clerk spoke.

I looked up and asked him, "Uh… do you have any swords?"

The clerk stopped for a moment… then stifled a laugh.

"Heh heh! What's a boy like you need a weapon for anyhow?"

Alright, this is getting annoying…

"That's none of your business. Do you have any or not?" I spoke through grit teeth…

He calmed down, but only a little… "Ha ha… easy there, kid. I got what you're lookin' for right 'ere!"

He directed me to where the blades were, and allowed me to test and see which one I would work best with.

Hm… I need a sword that's sturdy enough, but not too heavy for me to lift…

Hey! This one might work…

Heading outside to a small training area, I decided to test this sword out against a training dummy he had outside…

I swung right, then down, then finished with a thrust…

"Hey! Watch where you swing that thing, boy!" the shop keeper shouted as he barely dodged my wild swings…

"Eh heh… sorry, sir."

"Yeah sure, kid… that'll be 400 gold." He said as I went back inside made my purchase.

"Thanks for the sword, sir…" I said as I made my exit.

After using the rest of my money to buy other supplies, such as rations and other outdoor essentials, I made my way back to the fort. The others were waiting for me…

"Hey there, Chris! We were wondering if you'd gotten lost out there!" Norne told me.

"Sorry, guys. I had to get myself a weapon before I could report back here."

I showed them the sword I bought.

"I guess you're going to be fighting by our side now, huh?"

"Yeah, Cain." I answered, "Of course, I'll need to learn how to fight first…"

"Don't let that trouble you, lad." Jeigan told me, "Leave your training to us."

XXXXXXXXXX

Man, two years can certainly go by in a flash. I can't believe I've already turned 15 now…

These past couple of years, I've spent my time training both body and mind under the tutelage of both my grandfather and Commander Jeigan. While I was no slouch in my swordplay (or at least I hope I wasn't), it felt more like my skills were geared more towards strategic thinking…

It's a little odd, but being able to think as well as fight DOES have its advantages…

"Christopher! Pay attention!"

Huh? Yow!

I snapped back into reality just in time to see Prince Marth coming towards me with his sword. I barely raised my own blade just in time to block, but he then sent me staggering with a kick to the mid-section. I ended up flat on my back, with Marth's rapier pointed right at my throat. Once I got to my feet again, Jeigan came over…

"You need to focus, Christopher. The moment you become lax on the field, your foes will jump at that opportunity to finish you!" he reprimanded.

"Sorry, commander…" I replied, disappointed. I wasn't sure I was cut out for fighting on the field, even though I've trained for two years already…

"Just learn from your mistakes, lad. Now, reset for the next bout…" Jeigan gestured both of us back to the center of the battlefield.

That was the situation. Both Marth and I were having a light sparring session just outside the fort, to see if we were ready to be out on the field. Thankfully Wrys, the local village curate, was nearby to heal us if either of us ended up getting seriously injured.

Right now, the score was 2-0 in Marth's favor. I hoped I could at least get a hit off him when this spar was over…

"Now… begin!" the paladin called.

I started off the fight by swinging to the left, but the prince hopped backward and avoided my attack. Not to be deterred, I quickly swung down and to the right this time, but he had blocked my strike and swatted away my weapon. I moved left quickly to evade Marth's own thrust, then ducked down and swiped at his legs, but he quickly jumped over my attack and brought his weapon down onto my right arm…

"Gah!"

At least it didn't cut deep; otherwise I wouldn't be able to attack…

Gritting through the pain, I attempted to counter again, but then… the sounds of cannons firing filled the air. I stopped swinging my sword, wondering where it was coming from. Wrys came over and healed my injury while I looked around.

Marth must've heard this too, as he also stopped his attack and looked around…

Soon our eyes fell upon what might've been the source of that noise. It was a ship… and the flag it's flying looks like a…

Oh no… that ship is holding pirates!

Within minutes, the inhabitants of the ship had made themselves known. Looking through my grandfather's telescope, I witnessed the pirates lay waste to what little guards were around the area. These cutthroats were even heading into the villages to ransack them!

As I put away the spyglass, I heard the sound of a pegasus flying in…

"Someone! Please help!" I heard its rider, Sheeda, call out.

"We're coming, Lady Sheeda!" I replied, and we hurried to where she was…

"Sheeda? What's going on? Did something happen…?" asked Marth. Alarmed by all the commotion, the rest of the knights came by.

"Thank goodness you're all here…" she said, "Pirates from the port of Galder appeared out of nowhere. I barely escaped before the castle was captured… but my father, he's still in danger!"

Marth calmed the princess down as he responded, "You've nothing to fear, Sheeda. Those sea fowl are no match for Altea's finest!"

With that, he turned towards us…

"Knights! We make for the castle at once! Let's go!"

"Understood!" I answered back. Everyone else also acknowledged his command as we spread out around the fort and readied ourselves for battle.

"Wrys…" Jeigan called the curate, "Are you coming with us?"

He nodded, "Yes. You all look like you're going to need a healer for this journey. I will come with you and assist."

"Very well. We'll keep an eye out for you…"

Alright Chris… you've trained hard for times like this. Now let's put those two years of swordplay to good use…

A quick scan of my surroundings told me that I should secure any unprotected villages in the area, so I hurried to the one northeast of our temporary fort.

"Everyone! The island is under attack! Get to safety immediately!" I shouted out to all who could hear. My method seemed to work, as they got the hint immediately and hurried inside to barricade their homes…

Then, one of the elders came up to me, "Thank you for warning us, young man. Are you not one of Prince Marth's warriors?"

"Er, yes I am… sort of." I replied. He then handed me a large bag of gold…

"Then, if it please you, take these 10,000 gold pieces and tell your prince to use them as he sees fit. Please, do what you can to defeat these pirates…"

"Leave it to us, good sir."

Coming back to the battlefield, I quickly made my way to where Marth was. The prince was busy crossing blades with a pirate, and he looked to be winning against him. Marth sidestepped his slow vertical chop and ran him through with his rapier.

"Ha! You're mine now, scallywag!"

…!

I quickly turned around to find another pirate coming at me with his axe raised…

Alright, don't panic. Remember what grandpa said… always have the right weapons for the corresponding tasks.

If he's using an axe, then a sword should be used to counter it!

With that in mind, I brought my sword into a battle stance, and jumped away from the pirate's slow axe chop. As he struggled to raise his weapon again, I slashed at his chest twice before stabbing him. Pulling my sword from his body, I flicked away the blood as the pirate stumbled to the ground dead.

"Hey Chris! Behind you!"

Turning quickly, my eyes witnessed yet another pirate looking to take me down. Unfortunately, I wasn't ready to face him…

Suddenly, he froze up as pain flashed through his face. He could only take a couple of steps before he collapsed dead. Looking down, I saw that a couple of arrows (one in his back and another in his skull) were the reason he stopped moving.

I nodded to Gordin and Norne to thank them both, and continued west with everyone else…

As we trekked to the castle however, I quickly spotted a hunter in the trees… and he was aiming at…

No! Sheeda!

"Sheeda!" I called out, "Get back quickly! There's a hunter nearby!"

"Understood, Chris!" she called as she fell back. The hunter, meanwhile, was on the receiving end of a javelin from Abel. I highly doubted he'd be getting back up, considering that the javelin got him right in his heart.

We're almost there…

Only a couple of pirates were left now, and Draug was already attempting to face one of them. Despite not having the proper weapon, the pirate's axe wasn't powerful enough to smash through his thick armor. Draug's lance eventually made an exit out of the pirate's back, and he was no more.

"Now… time to face their leader." I mumbled to myself.

Once we got to the castle gates, a slightly bigger pirate wielding a massive axe came out from the gates… and upon laying eyes on me, snickered.

"Ha ha! Is this really what Altea has to offer now? No wonder Doluna kicked all your asses!"

"Why don't you come over here and say that to our faces, you worm!" I called him out.

"Don't get reckless, Christopher! He looks much stronger than the ones we already defeated!" grandpa warned. This caught the pirate leader's attention…

"What? You already beat all me mateys? Grr… I'm not lettin' y'all make a fool of us Galder pirates!"

I readied my sword as he hefted his axe… and behind me, grandpa muttered some words to Marth, Sheeda, Cain, and Abel. They'll probably try to back me up if I start losing or something…

"Come and get some!" I challenged.

The pirate leader rushed in and attempted a swing, hoping to lop my head off with one blow, but I was fast enough to back away and cut at his left arm. Unfortunately, it wasn't deep enough to render it useless, and I ended up with a fist slamming into my chin, knocking me for a loop. It took a few seconds to regain my sense and I lashed back at him by swinging upward and following up with a kick to his chest, knocking him back a couple of feet.

"Gah… for a little urchin, ye do put up a good fight… but not fer long!"

Huh? What's he going on abou- Oof!

Before I realized what happened, I was bowled over when that pirate rammed me to the floor with his shoulder. I barely rolled aside when he slammed the sharp end of his axe into the ground…

"Chris! Hold on, I'll help you…" Marth started, but I stopped him.

"No… sire. I can take him…" I panted, standing back up.

Though… he's a lot tougher than he looks.

"Ha! Ye still think ye can take me? Ye really must have a deathwish!" the pirate sneered.

Grr… he's starting to tick me off now.

I rushed forward and slashed down and left, but he had his axe up and he blocked the strike. The pirate lashed out with his leg to kick me, but I sidestepped and sliced his left arm again, this time cutting deep enough to immobilize it.

"Argh… now you've made me mad!" he shouted.

Now he was swinging his axe wildly, but because he was doing it with only one hand, I was able to dodge it easily enough and counter when needed. After one more swing from his axe, I finished him off with a kick to stun him, then I thrusted my sword into his chest, right where his heart was located.

"Rrrgh… ye'll pay, ye dog…" he sputtered, blood falling from his mouth…

That was all he said as he fell over, dead to the world.

"Hah… who's the urchin… now?" I gasped out, still aching a bit from the bruising he laid on me.

Cain grinned as he came over to me and slapped me on the back, "That was well done, Chris! You've certainly improved these past few years."

"Thanks Cain… ow." I replied, wincing slightly from the pain…

"Come, everyone. We need to see if His Majesty still lives…" Marth beckoned us to the gates.

XXXXXXXXXX

It seems we made it just in time, as King Mostyn remained unharmed throughout this attack.

"Prince Marth, my kingdom and I are in your debt. This battle has shown me that you and your men are indeed ready to face the empire of Doluna. Now, if you are to seek allies in Aurelis, then I shall send what vassals I can spare for your mission. Ogma!"

When the king called out that name, I witnessed a tall, scarred-looking man step into the throne room. He was flanked by two brown haired axe fighters, while a blue haired axe fighter followed behind them.

"You called for us, my liege?" the swordsman inquired.

"Yes I have, Captain Ogma. You are to travel with Prince Marth and his companions on his mission to reclaim Altea and defeat Doluna's empire. I trust you and your subordinates will serve him well, yes?"

"Doluna? Boy, this'll be a hell of a task." One of the brown-haired axe fighters said.

"Come on, Bord. Didn't you yourself say you wanted a challenge?" The other one told his comrade.

"Well yeah, Cord, but not like-"

"Bord, Cord, stop bickering! We're in the presence of nobility here!" The blue haired axe man silenced them both.

Guess he's more serious than the other two or something…

"Sorry Barst…"

Once all the commotion was silent, their leader Ogma spoke again…

"We'll do everything in our power to serve Prince Marth in this endeavor."

"Your service is greatly appreciated, Captain Ogma." Marth told the mercenary. He only nodded back in acknowledgement.

"Now then, before you depart for your journey, you must remember what I'm about to tell you. On your mission, you will more than likely find some people that despise Doluna. It is absolutely vital that you recruit these individuals to your cause. To put it simply, if there's someone that looks like they're not looking to fight for the empire, then try to reason with them before you resort to the sword."

All of us nodded as he continued on.

"Well, the time has come, Prince Marth! Take courage and have faith! We will be praying for your success!"

"Thank you for your hospitality, Your Majesty." Marth replied, "We'll give it our all!"

As we all made our way outside, I noticed something was off…

Where was the prince? Wasn't he with us just a moment ago?

Our question was soon answered when he came outside just a minute after we did.

"Sire? What happened?" I asked.

"Nothing to be concerned about, Chris." He answered. "It was just that His Majesty beseeched that I keep Sheeda safe throughout this journey. I accepted, of course."

"Ah, I see…" I replied, "Makes sense, seeing as how he's her father and whatnot…"

"Sire!" grandpa called out, "The boat is here! Let us make haste at once!"

Guess that's our cue to go then…

Soon, we were on board the ship and we were on our way to Galder Harbor to begin our long, arduous quest.

XXXXXXXXXX

It had been a couple of days since we departed from Talys by ship. By our estimations, we should be at Galder Harbor by tomorrow morning…

I was busy conversing with grandpa while playing another round of chess with him. The score was currently 4 to 1 in his favor…

"Something wrong, grandpa?" I asked as I sent one of my bishops out.

"It's about that battle we had, Christopher. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I'm getting the feeling that Doluna might've been alerted to our presence since we routed those pirates…" he replied.

Huh, that's odd. Why would he put his knight in a position to be attacked?

"Well, I figured it was only a matter of time before they figure out where we were hiding. Frankly, I'm surprised we were able to stay underground for as long as we did."

I moved in my pawn to capture his knight.

"And honestly, it's a good thing we left when we did. Talys doesn't really have any military to speak of, so if Doluna decided to attack us while we were still in hiding… the kingdom would be doomed." I continued as grandpa thought of his next move.

Blast it. I lost my bishop to that rook. Guess it's time to send the queen out…

"Yes, that much is true… but as dangerous as they were, those pirates don't hold a candle to the empire's might."

Argh… damn! Now my queen's gone and my king is in check!

"So you're saying that we may very well be going into battle unprepared at this point, despite training for this opportunity to arise?" I asked.

Alright, better get the king out of the way.

"Much as I don't want to admit that, yes…" he said solemnly.

Okay, this next move should do it…

"Well, that's a risk we're just going to have to take." I said as I sent my knight to attack one of his rooks, "There's no turning back now that we've departed from the kingdom."

Grandpa could only nod as he brought out his own queen and…

Oh, you've GOT to be kidding me. He got me again!

"Checkmate." He said. A trace of amusement was present in his voice.

*sigh*

"I think that's enough for today." Grandpa told me, "It'd be best if we got some sleep. Tomorrow we should arrive in Galder Harbor in the morning…"

"Right then… Goodnight, grandpa." I said, and I left the cabin…

On the way back, however, I ran into Ogma… literally.

"Oof! Oh… sorry, Sir Ogma. I didn't see you there…"

He just shook his head, "Don't trouble yourself over it, boy. It was only an accident."

I nodded and was about to continue on my way, but then…

"By the way, uh…"

"Chris." I finished for him.

"Right… Chris, you've got a pretty decent sword-arm. How did you learn your skills?" he inquired.

"Um… well, I sort of taught myself how to do it, though I did receive some pointers from Cain, Abel, and Jeigan." I answered, "Though, I still think my technique still needs a little work…"

Ogma nodded at this answer, and then replied, "In that case, let me make you an offer. If you want to, I can tutor you on how to fight and refine your style so that you can fight more effectively against multiple opponents."

"Sounds good to me. Thanks…"

He simply nodded and went to do his own business.

*yawn*

Yeah, it's getting late… I need to get some sleep.

I made my way back to my room and wrote down my current records into my logbook. Grandpa always said to keep track of battles so that they could be reviewed at a later time. This was important if one was to search for any flaws in their tactics.

With all that said and done, I blew the candle out in my room and lay down in the bed provided for me…

Tomorrow was another day, and another step.

Another step towards taking back Altea and destroying Doluna's empire for good.

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER**

_Well, that's another chapter down…_

_Like usual, if you have any reviews, suggestions, or anything else like that, I'll be listening._

_Until next time, farewell._


	3. Harbor and Mountain Skirmishes

_**DISCLAIMER: **__If I really owned Fire Emblem, I wouldn't be here writing this story. But I don't… so here I am._

_***REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

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_***END REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_**NOTE: **__Everyone… I'm afraid updates are going to be a bit on the slow side. Because I'm suffering from computer troubles, my internet access is going to be quite limited. Don't fret though, I'm not going to give up just because that is happening. One way or another, I'm going to continue this long project and I WILL complete it. Make no mistake about that… _

_Now, another chapter is about to begin…_

_

* * *

_

**CHAPTER 2**

**Harbor and Mountain Skirmishes**

_The sun was barely rising by the time we reached Galder Harbor…_

_This port, which lied just across Talys' shores, didn't have a lot to offer as far as riches were concerned, but it was peaceful despite its impoverished state... or at least that's what grandpa told me._

_Looking at it now, however, I wouldn't know any of that. Everywhere I looked, I noticed that the population consisted mainly of pirates… and the rest of the citizens seemed to be in a constant state of fear because of them._

_I recall Sheeda telling us that the pirates that attacked Talys came from this place…_

_Hm, if we can get rid of these pirates, then maybe the kingdom will be safe from future attacks from these bilge rats. That'd kill two birds with one stone, since we must go through here to get to Aurelis anyways... _

_By daybreak, the docks were just peering over the horizon. I'd say it'll be another hour before we make landfall._

XXXXXXXXXX

Now I was with Ogma and his men on deck, trying for the fourth time to mimic the technique he showed me.

I came at Barst and swung downward, breaking through his guard and knocking him back. As he staggered back, I spun quickly and struck at Cord who was attempting to come at me from the rear. This surprised him and he suffered a slight cut at his chest, so he bowed out and allowed Bord to replace him.

Barst was coming up behind me again, so I landed a quick back kick to knock him away again. With him knocked down, I came at Bord full force. Sidestepping a chop from his axe, I swung at Bord in an upward motion, which he barely avoided as he brought his axe back up. I sliced horizontally, leaving a slight cut at his mid-section, and forcing him to back out.

Now it was just me and Barst, Ogma's best axe man.

He was actually a bit faster than the other two, so that was why I saved him for last. He was quick enough to block a couple of my sword slashes, but he wasn't prepared for a sweep kick I did after the third slash. It didn't cause him to fall, but it did trip him up slightly, allowing me to land a couple of cuts on him.

"That's enough!" Ogma called out, signifying the end of our training.

Once Wrys healed our injuries, the mercenary leader approached me.

"Well Chris, you're doing a pretty good job on your swordplay, but this is only the beginning. You need to keep practicing your skills until you can say for sure that you've perfected it."

"Right…" I gasped out. He sure knew how to train hard…

After a few minutes, I went below deck once more to gather my belongings. However, just as I got to my door, I heard a voice…

"Ogma!"

Ah, it was Sheeda…

"I don't believe I ever thanked you for coming along with us. I've seen your power, and I know I can trust you…"

"You don't have to thank me, princess…" I heard Ogma reply, "It is my job after all. Besides, your father would have my head if you were to come to any harm."

"Ogma, I don't need to be protected." The pegasus knight replied indignantly, then her tone became something else… concern, maybe?

"I have another task for you also. You must defend Marth for me…"

I was thankful to be out of their sight as I peered from outside my room. Ogma was about to object, but Sheeda continued…

"He… he's extremely important to me…" she said, "Please, do as I ask. As my first and final request, please keep him safe."

Hm… this is more than just concern for one's safety. That much I do know…

"Very well, princess."Ogma answered, "I will comply with your request, but you must stay safe as well. Marth would surely grieve if you were to fall."

"That is reasonable. Thank you Ogma… for understanding." Sheeda replied.

As he nodded, I went back to my room before they took notice of my presence. Taking that conversation in, I went to my logbook and made a note to keep Marth, Sheeda, and Ogma as close as possible without ruining formation.

A knock followed at my door after a few minutes…

"Christopher! We've arrived at the port!"

"I'll be right there, grandpa!" I responded.

Taking my sword, dagger, and other essentials, I left my room and got with everyone else to disembark…

XXXXXXXXXX

Geez, this harbor's seen better days…

As we got off the ship, I had my spyglass out to scout the area ahead…

Wait a minute… what are Grust's cavalry doing out here?

"Sire!" I called out, "We've got trouble! Grust has sent troops to block our way!"

"So… Doluna WAS alerted by our actions." Grandpa mused aloud, and then he called everyone to arms.

Suddenly, I heard someone else call out…

"Over 'ere, mateys! These bastards killed our crew back on that kingdom! Come on, now's our chance for revenge!"

Crap.

So it was an assault on two fronts. Several pirates from the north and more pirates mixed in with Grust's cavalry from the west. With no delay, I charged in with Ogma and Cain, ready to punish these bilge rats…

"Wait! Ye don't need to fight me!" a pirate suddenly exclaimed as I rushed at him.

Huh…?

Although confused, I still had my sword raised in case he tried anything, "You'd best explain yourself before I cut you down right here and now!"

"Me name's Darros! I've had my fill of a pirate's life, and now I jus' want to start anew." The pirate, Darros, told me, "I'll join ye band if ye'll have me…"

"Well…" Cain started, "I'll have to confer with Prince Marth on this one, but for now fall in with us. If anyone asks, we'll vouch for you."

"Thank ye kindly! I swear I'll pull me load!" He answered.

"Right, now let's get back to work!" I called back as I cut down an approaching pirate.

With Darros' strength, bashing these pirates became much easier. As Darros sank his axe into a thief's neck, Cain was running through a hunter on his blade, while Ogma and I were double-teaming another pirate. Thanks to his slow axe, Ogma and I cut him down with ease.

Soon, all the pirates on our end were taken care of, and we joined everyone else in beating back Grust's cavalry. As I knocked off one of the knights from his horse, Bord swung his axe down and separated the knight's head from the rest of his body. Gordin and Norne stayed back and provided firepower from behind us as they let fly with several arrows that crippled our oncoming foes.

Suddenly, Sheeda flew above me to where a hunter was waiting…

"Sheeda! What are you doing! He'll shoot you down!" I heard Marth call out, but his plea went unheard as she flew in calling out a name…

Castor? Huh… must be someone she knows.

The hunter looked ashamed of himself as he spoke to the pegasus knight. I then noticed Sheeda take out a pouch of what I'm guessing was gold and handed it to him.

Huh? Why does Castor look so shocked at this? What's he planning…?

As Marth, myself, and everyone else cut down this mix of pirates and cavalry, Sheeda came back towards us. The hunter followed in shame, muttering something about being a worthless traitor…

"Gah, these pirates are certainly persistent!" Jeigan noted as he ran another through on his lance.

Our own axe men were clearing a path as we trudged toward the captain of all these pirates. Thanks to Cain and Abel, the Grustian cavalry had long since fallen. Soon Marth, Ogma, Sheeda, and I were upon the huge pirate captain himself.

"Ye must have a lot of nerve to defy me crew like that! I'll be puttin' an axe square between all yer eyes!"

So this was Gomer, the leader of all these pirates I kept hearing about back on Talys…

"Most of your crew is gone, you worm." I told him, "Unless you want to join them, step aside at once."

"Never! Ye ain't leavin' here alive, ye hear me!" He shouted as he hurled a hand axe in my direction. Unfortunately, I was too slow to react and he scored a direct hit on my left shoulder.

"Chris! Stand down now!" Marth told me as he drew his rapier.

The pain in my shoulder was excruciating. I had no choice but to comply.

As Marth advanced upon Gomer, he was flanked by Sheeda and Ogma as he drew closer…

"Die!" Gomer shouted as he rushed at Marth, hoping to split him in two. Ogma quickly swung his blade at him, causing the pirate boss to miss the prince and suffer a deep cut on his shoulder. Sheeda attempted to jab at Gomer with her lance, but he was quick for his size and kept moving aside even with the cut Ogma gave him. However, he was too focused on avoiding the pegasus knight to notice Marth thrust at him with his rapier. He was successful in running Gomer right through his chest.

"Augh… Ye… Such power…" he coughed up as he fell back in a pool of his own blood.

Flicking the blood from his blade, Marth sheathed it and came back over to me…

"Chris, are you well?"

"Well, I've been better, sire…" I replied.

Now I've learned the hard way that laxity can invite death…

"I'll send for Wrys at once, your highness." I heard grandpa tell him.

XXXXXXXXXX

About another half-hour later, after having my shoulder fixed, I heard someone finish speaking with the prince, so I came over to him to see what he was saying.

"Lord Marth? What happened?"

"One of the citizens just finished telling me that we'll need to cross through some mountains if we're to continue our journey to Aurelis." Marth replied.

"Ah, you mean the Samsooth mountains just north and west of here?"

"Yes… but they say that bandits inhabit those mountains. Seems they also have hired the skilled swordsman known as Navarre…"

"Navarre…" I mused aloud, "Supposedly, he's always held a lethal sword arm."

"That's not the only thing they've told us." The prince continued, "Apparently, a cleric known as Lena went into those mountains to heal the ill and wounded. She hasn't returned however, and we've been asked to save her. They even gave us 5,000 gold to arm ourselves for the trip…"

"Wow, she must be some cleric then." I said.

I heard the sound of a pegasus flapping and suddenly remembered something…

"Lady Sheeda!" I called as she landed, "Who is this Castor person you met with earlier?"

"Ah, I've been meaning to introduce him to all of you…" She replied, and then she called him over.

He still looked pretty down on himself when he came over to us, but he looked up at us and spoke…

"My name is Castor, Prince Marth and Sir Chris. I… I want to fight alongside you."

"Of course you may! I've heard much about you, actually…" Marth told him.

"Princess Sheeda's always been a dear friend to me, sire… but after I sided with these pirates, I felt awful. Even if my mother was ill, I should've…"

The hunter probably would've continued moping if Sheeda hadn't cut him off.

"Please, Castor. You shouldn't let this mistake plague you. You can still redeem yourself…"

"Sheeda is right." Marth continued, "Let the struggles of the future define your true character."

"I… I understand." He replied, feeling a little better about himself.

"Good to meet you, Castor." I told him, "Just thought I should tell you, though. The tasks we face are going to be a major challenge. Do you think you're ready for them?"

"I am…" he replied, "I'll do whatever I need to in order to prove myself."

"Good to hear." I nodded, but then I heard commander Jeigan calling us.

"Well, let's get going…" I said as we started moving again, "Those peaks aren't going to climb themselves…"

XXXXXXXXXX

_It was about three hours since we departed from Galder after re-arming ourselves from that last scuffle with the pirates. With the sun almost ready to go down, we continued our trek through our next stop before Aurelis…_

_The Samsooth Mountains._

_These steep, cragged peaks split the peninsula in two regions, and for the longest time, they've always been inhabited by a ruthless band of rogues._

_Arson, murder, abduction, pillaging… their crimes knew no limits._

_In time, these mountains would end up going by other names such as 'Ghoul's Teeth' or 'Devil Mountains'. As for the bandits taking up residence here, their savagery earned them the name, 'Soothsires'…_

_It was just our luck that these heights were the only way to get to Aurelis from where we departed. The fact that our forces were as big as they were didn't exactly help our already thin chances of sneaking past these barbarians unnoticed. It looks like we're going to have another fight on our hands very soon…_

XXXXXXXXXX

"Hah… this is some pretty rough terrain…" I gasped out, "I can't really imagine anyone wanting to live up here."

"I know what you mean, Chris." Norne spoke as she made her effort to keep climbing, occasionally relying on Gordin for support. He looked a little embarrassed to be seen helping her, but I chose not to say anything.

Just then, however, I heard a voice call out…

"C'mon, Miss Lena! It's just a little further!"

Who's making that noise?

I looked north to find a man beckoning a lady in white robes to hurry after him.

Wait… that woman…

Could that be Sister Lena that Galder's citizens told us about?

I would soon have my question answered as they both hurried over to both of us. Suspecting something, I drew my sword…

The man, seeing my weapon, quickly put his hands up, "W-Wait! Stop! I mean no harm to you!"

"Just explain yourself and I'll spare you." I calmly told him.

"Right, uh… my name's Julian!" the thief spoke, "I used to be a Soothsire, but I've decided not to do any more banditry! Now I'm here with Sister Lena and we're trying to get-"

"Hey! The traitor and the girl went this way! Let's get 'em, boys!"

Oh hell… we've got company!

"Get to safety, you two!" I called, "We'll handle these guys!"

I quickly called in Sheeda, Abel, Cord, and Ogma to give me a hand at dealing with these brigands. Cord's hand axe flew right into a bandit's skull as Ogma and I sliced at a couple of other bandits. Unfortunately, as soon as I broke away from Ogma to look for more foes, a long haired swordsman came up at me and attacked! I tried to hold him off and counter, but his movement was much faster than mine, and he showed much greater skill in swordplay. Every time I tried to cut at him, he dodged it nimbly and I could barely keep my guard up as he dished out his own offense. After a minute, he swiftly disarmed me from my blade and knocked me to the ground, the tip of his Killing Edge right at my throat…

"Will it be tears or blood you weep first?" he asked impassively.

I could only look down in defeat. My objective to avenge my mother and father… it was all about to end here.

"Mom… Dad…" I muttered sadly, "I've failed… forgive me."

I closed my eyes, waiting for him to finish me…

...

Why aren't I dead yet?

Opening my eyes, I peered up to see Sheeda standing in front of me, stopping the myrmidon from attacking…

"Navarre…" she started, "Why would a swordsman of your skill work for such cutthroats?"

"Stand aside at once, girl. Someone may decide to slay you right here and now…"

Sheeda stood her ground as I slowly stood back up…

"Please, you don't need to fight for this rabble. Use your sword for a worthy cause and lend us your strength…" she continued, "And if you're still not interested… then do with me what you will…"

There wasn't any way I could retrieve my sword before the myrmidon, Navarre, could strike us both down. He held his blade tightly… before lowering it and shaking his head.

"No… I will never turn my blade on a female. If you're really willing to give up your own life to ask for my services, then I will add my strength to yours…"

Whew… so this is what a near-death experience feels like.

As Navarre turned and moved west with a few of our forces, I turned to Sheeda…

"Thanks for your help, Lady Sheeda… I'm sorry for being so careless." I gulped.

She just shook her head and smiled, "It's alright, Chris. I know you're trying your best out there."

"If you say so…" I replied, "I have to say, though… you were pretty brave standing up to Navarre like that, knowing the risks."

"I've always heard that he'd never harm women or children…" she replied, "I guess the rumors were true…"

I nodded as I retrieved my sword, "In any case, we'd better get back with the rest of the troop. It looks like they're making some headway…"

I hustled west to catch up with the army and we soon found ourselves facing the last of the Soothsire cutthroats. With Navarre's swordsmanship, we sliced and diced our way through most of them, and then we came across the bandit leader and a couple of his flunkies…

"Har… you bastards must have a death wish coming onto our turf!" the leader bellowed, but then he spotted Julian among our ranks…

"Julian! So you're turning your coat on us, are you?"

"Yeah, Hyman… about that…" he scratched his head.

"Shut up! You turned your back on us, and now we're gonna make you pay in blood!" he shouted as he threw his hand axe right at him. Being a thief, he was quick enough to dodge it.

I quickly brandished my sword and swung at one of his guards. He blocked my first swing, but I stepped away from his axe as he swung downward. I slashed left before he could bring up his weapon again, leaving a decent-sized cut in his mid-section, then I followed it up by slashing right. He fell to the ground with all his innards exposed for the world to see…

Meanwhile, our three archers were busy taking shots at Hyman as he kept tossing axes at them. Abel and Cain also assisted by tossing javelins, but they either missed, or were knocked away by his axes. Fortunately, he didn't put up any more of a struggle as a well-placed shot to the head from Castor forced him to the ground.

"Augh… one day… it will…"

That was all he could say before the reaper claimed him.

"Well, I guess that's that." I mumbled as I went into the nearby fort where he came out of. The rest of the army soon followed.

XXXXXXXXXX

The sun had gone down since our occupation of the Soothsire's base. There were a lot of rooms in the fort, so grandpa and I decided to survey the place to see if they had left anything of value. Since Julian used to be a part of the gang of bandits, he was guiding us through the area…

"Hm? Ah, a chest!" grandpa noted. Marth must've heard the noise, as he came into the room also…

"Malledus? What did you find?"

"Sire, look here! It seems these rogues had a stash of gold in this fort." he told the prince.

"It's true. There should be about 15,000 gold since they last counted it all." Julian spoke up.

"Well, they won't need any of this money where they're going." I noted, "I think it'd be smart to add this gold to our remaining funds…"

Malledus nodded and sent for our axe men to haul this chest of gold off to our supply convoy. Once the gold was loaded, I decided to turn in for the night and headed off for my temporary room…

Huh? What's Lena still doing awake? I'd better talk to her…

"Um… Sister Lena? Is there a problem?" I asked her.

"No, I was just about to go to sleep, um…" She replied as she tried to figure out who she was speaking to…

"Chris." I finished as she nodded.

"There's nothing wrong, but thank you for your concern." She smiled.

"Alright then…" I nodded, and was about to be on my way… but then another thought came to mind.

"Uh… Sister? If you don't mind me asking, how did you end up in the hold of these bandits?"

Lena hesitated, but she answered, "Originally, I was formerly a noble of Medon and I was to be wed to their current king, Michalis. However, I didn't want any part of ruling over the kingdom, so I left, traveling as a simple cleric."

"So you traveled as a cleric to care for the ill, until you had been taken captive by the brigands in these mountains. Is that about right?" I responded.

"Yes… but then, one of their members, Julian, helped me escape from their grasp…"

Huh? Is she blushing?

"And that's how you and Julian are here in our forces." I concluded.

"Yes… but, you're in Prince Marth's ranks as well, aren't you?" She asked.

"Er, yes I am…"

"But how come? You look too young to be out fighting in battles like what your prince is facing…"

I sighed. I didn't really want to explain myself…

"Well… the truth is, a former ally of Altea decided to betray us at the worst possible time, and that resulted in my home village being razed to the ground. It was only after I escaped with the prince, my grandfather, and what was left of the army that I learned that a mage dragon from Doluna had killed my mother and father."

When I paused, I looked up to see her looking back at me in sorrow. I shook my head…

"If I ever meet that mage dragon… I will destroy him, by my own hands. He will pay in blood for what he did to my family…" I finished, an extremely bitter tone laced in my voice.

I looked up to see Lena still looking at me with that same expression.

"Chris…" she began, "I'm very sorry about what happened to your parents, and I understand your desire to carry out their wishes to serve Prince Marth."

I nodded, but I wasn't expecting her to continue…

"But you must not lose yourself to hatred. I don't believe your family would want to see you constantly thinking about vengeance, even if it was for them."

Hatred? But…

"Sister…" I started, but she continued on…

"Please, Chris. You've still got your whole life ahead of you. Don't waste it by letting your hatred for Doluna consume you…"

I looked down and sighed.

She was right… even if my cause was just, it would drive me mad if I continued to dwell on the matter.

But no matter what I did… I still couldn't stifle the anger I felt for Doluna. This pain… it would take a very long time to heal.

"I… I'll try." I spoke finally, "I cannot guarantee that it won't happen, but… I'll try."

With nothing left to say, I decided to get up and head for my room. Once inside, I recorded the records for the two skirmishes we ended up in, blew out the candle in my room, and made for the bed once again…

"Mom… Dad… I hope I'm doing the right thing… by bringing down your killer." I muttered as sleep slowly took me over…

It was still too early to think about how to combat this foe. That would have to wait until we could say we were ready to reclaim our homeland…

My eyes finally closed, sleep finally claiming me…

Tomorrow at daybreak, we'd finally reach the kingdom of Aurelis. Hopefully someone will assist us on our mission to topple Doluna's empire…

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER**

_Another chapter has been completed._

_My apologies for taking a long time. Real life can be a real ass sometimes._

_As per usual, reviews, commentary, and/or suggestions are encouraged._

_Until next time, farewell._


	4. Aurelian Warriors and a Hero's Proof

_**DISCLAIMER: **__I do not own Fire Emblem or any of its elements. If I did, the series wouldn't be nearly as awesome as it is now. =P_

_***REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_**MattyBoy91: **__That's precisely why I portrayed Barst as Ogma's best subordinate. LOL…_

_***END REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_**NOTE: **__Some chapters are going to be portrayed in the style that they appear in FE3. This is because there are some battles that contribute either nothing or very little to the plot, and it'd be a bit of an inconvenience to include them._

_Okay, let's get this chapter up and running!_

_

* * *

_

**CHAPTER 3**

**Aurelian Warriors and a Hero's Proof**

_After spending all morning hiking down from the mountains, we finally made it to our destination… the kingdom of Aurelis._

_Stationed in the north-eastern plains of the continent, this kingdom was the only one to resist Doluna's attempts at conquest with some degree of success. Personally, I credit that to a combination of effective tactics and sheer dumb luck._

_Of course, Aurelis could only hold out a resistance for so long. By the time we arrived, much of its territory was under Medonian occupation. Despite all of this, however, somebody that the people called 'Coyote' continued to do battle against the empire, as disadvantaged as his small force was._

_For several months now, requests for assistance were sent all around the continent, but these calls for help have always gone with no response…_

_Well, now it's time we answered that call. Let's hope we aren't too late…_

XXXXXXXXXX

"So, we are to meet up with the one called 'Coyote'…" I ran through grandpa's plan again, "…and he's supposed to be the Aurelian king's younger brother, Hardin. Is that about right?"

"That's correct, Christopher." He told me, "He and his men should be engaging the enemy forces already. I've also received word that Akaneia's crown princess is with them as well…"

I raised a brow at this…

"Princess?" I asked confusedly, "Uh… wasn't the kingdom's royal family massacred when Akaneia fell?"

"That is true…" grandpa nodded, "…but it seems that she managed to survive and find her way to Aurelis somehow. Akaneia and Aurelis have always had close ties in the past, so at least we know she should be in safe hands…"

"Yeah…" I nodded, left to my own thoughts once more. This battle was going to be my first real test as a soldier. These guys aren't just going to be a gang of bandits or pirates or anything like that anymore. No… we're going to be battling an actual army.

I just hope I'm ready to face them now.

I was jarred from my thoughts as I looked up to see Bord and a few others waving up ahead.

"Hey, guys!" Bord called out, "I see some people fighting against Medon's soldiers!"

"Looks like we're just in time…" I mused. The fact that there weren't too many corpses littering the fields told me that the fighting had only just begun.

"What do you see?" Jeigan questioned.

Cain spoke up, "It's Lord Hardin and his men, Commander. They're engaging the foe even as we speak. There are a couple of villages in the area also."

"Malledus! Do you have a plan?" I heard Marth call to grandpa.

"First things first, we must secure the villages, then we'll rendezvous with Lord Hardin. Let's move out at once!" Grandpa announced.

Drawing my sword, I nodded and followed Marth into a village just across one of the bridges to the north. I did my usual routine of warning the citizens that it was a battlefield out there, and just when I was about to leave the gates…

"Well well Marth, Chris. It's certainly been a while."

To our surprise, we turned to find a green haired mage in blue robes. He looked to be about mine and Marth's age, and we recognized who he was instantly…

"Merric? Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes!" I grinned. It was good to see him again after many years with little contact.

"Heh, indeed." The mage grinned back, "So what brings you two to Aurelis?"

"I'm currently fighting under the prince's command, actually. But enough about us… Merric, what are you here for?" I asked.

"I was busy studying in Khadein, but then I heard that war had broken out around here, so I decided to seek out Prince Marth."

"I see… well, having you by our side will be very beneficial. It does us good to see you again, Merric." Marth replied, "Will you fight by our side?"

"Of course! It'd be shameful not to show the results of my studies. This is my latest spell, Excalibur!" With that, he showed us the spell book in his hand. The tome's cover had a picture that looked something like a wind-shear of sorts…

Something told me that this magic would pack quite a punch.

"Good of you to join us! Now let's show these guys we mean business!" I said as we left the village to get back to the fighting, Marth breaking away to where Sheeda and Ogma were at. As I sliced at a cavalier, knocking him from his horse, I witnessed Merric chant a few words. Suddenly, several blades of wind rushed from his hands and into an approaching pegasus knight, shredding the foe.

That was amazing… but then I remembered the cavalier attempting to get back up and I stabbed him fatally, ensuring he didn't move any longer. Flicking the blood off my sword, I looked back up to see another cavalier approaching… but something didn't seem right when I got a good look at his face. Why did he look so depressed…?

I didn't have time to dwell on that thought as he reluctantly raised his lance. I slashed at his horse, forcing it to rear up and make the rider lose his balance. Moving quickly, I then swung my blade at the rider himself, knocking him off of his mount. I only used the flat of my blade to knock him down rather than the edge, so it wasn't a lethal attack. He attempted to stand back up, but I was already on him, with my weapon at his neck, ready to finish him…

"Forgive this useless fool of a brother… Lena."

Those words he uttered stopped me from running him through right then and there… who was this guy?

"Ah… a-are you going to kill me?" I heard him stammer.

I responded to his question with two of my own, my sword still trained at his throat, "I want to know a couple of things. Who are you, and how do you know Sister Lena?"

"M-My name's Matthis, young sir. A-And Lena is my younger sister…" the fallen cavalier, Matthis, told me. He was extremely nervous… much like when I was in his current predicament.

"So you're Lena's brother, huh?" I said as I withdrew my sword. At his confused look, I told him, "Look, I'm not going to kill you now, alright? Your sister is traveling with us right now and it wouldn't be right to rob her of family…"

"What? Lena is here?" He sounded surprised. I nodded and signaled said cleric to come over here.

"Don't go anywhere until Sister Lena gets here, alright?" I told the cavalier, and he nodded… albeit reluctantly. I then decided to meet back up with the prince to see if he was okay. When I got to his location, however, I noticed something…

What was that odd red stone he was holding? I decided to ask him…

"Uh… Lord Marth? What's that you're holding?"

"It looks to be some sort of stone, but… it's strange. It seems to be glowing red, yet it's not hot…" the prince replied

"Pretty creepy…"

"That's what the villager that gave me this stone thought." Marth told me, "It's probably best if we put this in the convoy for now."

"You're right… I'll tell grandpa what we've found after this fight's over." I replied as I caught Jeigan's signal.

Charging back into the fray, I fell back in with Marth's forces as we forced our way west. Now Medon's army was getting assailed from both Hardin's forces from the south and our own forces from the east. With Hardin's two horsemen joining our 3 archers, shooting down the pegasus knight reinforcements was easy as pie. Meanwhile, the white-turbaned rider and his two other cavaliers had formed a phalanx to block the advance of Medon's backup cavalry, so grandpa called for our own cavaliers (which now included Matthis) to support the Aurelians. It was like the opposition had slammed into a brick wall, as they fell upon our lances. Merric also provided a little help with his Excalibur magic, as the wind spell tore right through the reinforcements…

Soon, we were upon the castle gates, and with only three armored knights standing in our way. I was fortunate enough to stumble upon an armorslayer that one of the cavaliers dropped, so I switched out my normal sword for it. It was a tad bit heavier than my regular weapon, but it wasn't enough to cause a disadvantage.

"Merric, stay behind Christopher. Use your magic if he's showing any sign of struggling." Grandpa told the mage. He then told Barst and Darros to take care of the other two knights flanking who I believed was the leader of Medon's forces in this area.

"I'm watching this castle in Princess Minerva's absence…" The knight in the middle spoke, "…and as long as I stand, you will not claim it!"

"In that case…" I replied back, "…we're going through you! Now prepare yourself!"

I drew the armorslayer from its sheath as he readied his lance. I needed to end this fight quickly, as can easily outreach me with his weapon, which was a silver lance…

The armored foe thrusted his weapon in my direction, so I immediately sidestepped and swung sideways at him, cutting into him and his chest-plate. This did hurt, but it wasn't enough to beat him, as he slashed at me with the point of his lance, leaving a pretty good cut on my right arm. Gritting through the pain, I swung even harder at him, slicing right through one of the pauldrons and into his left shoulder. Now he could barely raise his lance, much less attack…

"Argh… don't think you've won yet!" he growled out. I silenced him with an upward swing, slashing right through his chest. Blood pooled from his body as he stumbled to the ground, dead to the world. After cleaning off the blood from my weapon, I looked to see Merric shredding one armored knight with Excalibur, and Barst and Darros finish up by slamming their axes into the other armored knight. Neither stood any chance against them…

"That's the last of them…" Marth muttered as the Coyote himself, Hardin, came up to him…

"That was a well planned battle, young prince." He said, "News of your exploits have certainly traveled quickly."

Marth replied, "I've also heard stories about you, Coyote. Working alongside a man of your valor would a great honor."

"Well, let's get down to business. I've left Akaneia's princess Nyna in a safe location. Will you take charge in the coming battles?"

Marth looked surprised at this. If I had to guess, I figured he was thinking that Hardin would have better experience at commanding an army or something…

"Are you really sure, Sir Hardin? I would think that you-"

I decided to leave at this point, as I felt slightly out of place among those two. Seeing grandpa coming, I told him about the strange red stone that Marth came upon… and this was quick to catch his attention.

"Christopher, that is a dragonstone! This is the source of a manakete's power, and it allows them to transform into dragons!" he told me.

"Seriously? Wow…" I said, "Um… so what does this particular stone do?"

"This appears to be a fire stone. With this, a manakete can transform into a fire dragon."

"I see…"

Well, it won't be of any use to us right now. Maybe if we had a manakete ally of our own, this might be useful. I took the stone to the supply wagon and made my way back to the gates.

Due to castle halls not having any room for mounts, our riders were forced to dismount for the time being. At least they knew how to fight off of a mount as well as on one…

XXXXXXXXXX

_With Medon's main force now out of commission, our next objective was to clean out Aurelis Castle, and destroy any stragglers still hanging around inside._

_According to grandpa, the treasures in the castle were still intact, but if war has taught me anything, it's that a battle is a perfect distraction for looters to get away with stealing treasures._

_We'll need to work fast if we want to get the treasures for ourselves…_

XXXXXXXXXX

"Bah…" Cain grumbled, "There's no way we can get those chests open without a thief. Do we even have any among us?"

I then noticed Julian approach, "Er, actually… if you need to recover any goods, I can help you with that."

Great! That'll make things easier for us…

"Is anyone out there?"

Huh? Where'd that voice come from?

"Somebody get us out of here!"

Peering eastward, the source of those voices came from what looked to be a prison cell. Fortunately, one of the armored knights from outside had a key, so Merric opened the door, and two people emerged from the cell…

One of them looked to be a guy that was probably a couple of years older than me. Judging from his rags, I'd say he was a thief that didn't have much luck in looting the place…

The other one looked to be an elderly man. The robes he had on told me that he was a bishop of high rank.

Merric approached the bishop as Julian met up with the thief. I left them to their own affairs as I peered around the corner to see what we were up against…

Hm… archers, thieves, and armored knights. Getting those treasures are going to be a bit challenging.

Turning back to the army, I turned to see who our two newest members were…

"So, who are you two?"

The thief spoke first, "My name's Rickard! I may only be a small-time thief, but I've got big dreams! Chief said I'll be working with you guys from now on, so that's why I'm here."

Well, he's pretty excitable… that much I'll say.

Turning to the bishop, I wordlessly questioned him.

"I am Wendell, bishop of Khadein. That black-hearted fiend Gharnef seized control of the city and I was forced to escape. Because Gharnef has allied himself with Doluna, we share a common foe and as such I will join your forces. I've no love for war, but I'll provide whatever assistance I can."

"Good to have you two on board." I nodded, but then I heard more voices… unfriendly ones this time.

"It's the rebel army! They've breached the gates and are inside now! Somebody go warn General Emereus at once!"

Damn! We've been discovered!

"Malledus! We need to fight back!" Marth told grandpa.

"Everyone, to arms at once! Engage the foe if you see them!" he called to everyone.

Just then, Sister Lena came up…

"Sir Malledus, we may not be able to reach some of the treasures in time before the enemy gets to them. I can use my warp staff to send others to hold off the enemy until Julian and Rickard get to where the chest are."

Wow… pretty good line of thinking!

"I see no problem with that." Grandpa nodded, "Alright then… Draug, Ogma, Navarre, and Cain will guard the chests until we can get Julian or Rickard to open them."

The four nodded and gathered around Lena as she chanted a few words and warped the four away in a bright pillar of light.

Part of me wondered just what that would feel like…

Shaking those thoughts aside, I decided to try sneaking up on some foes. One archer was looking around as he guarded a chamber, so I kept my sword sheathed as I brought my dagger out of my sleeve. The poor guy never suspected me coming behind him, and the knife slit right across his throat, dropping him in seconds.

Unfortunately, he ended up making a few choked sounds as he collapsed and that alerted a couple of armored knights to my position. Reacting quickly, I put away my dagger and drew my armorslayer as Bord and Cord came to back me up. With Bord's hammer and my armorslayer, those knights went down flat.

Ow! Augh!

Looking down, I witnessed a couple of arrows sticking out of me. One nailed my right arm and another on the right side of my chest. Norne and Castor fired back at them quickly, nailing the two archers that shot me and bringing them down. I then removed the arrows sticking out of me… and boy did that hurt something fierce.

"Everything okay, Chris?" Castor asked me.

"I'm still alive, don't worry." I told him, as Lena came over to heal me.

A third archer came around the corner ready to shoot at us, but fortunately a well-timed appearance from Wendell saved us. With his Thunder magic, the experience for the foe was… quite painful.

In any case, we were now approaching the throne room where the enemy general was waiting for us. Malledus caught up with us to report what all was retrieved by our two thieves…

Gold, a Killing Edge (which I couldn't wait to try using), another Armorslayer, an Angelic Robe, and a Physic Staff. All of these items were sure to prove useful…

Hardin decided to volunteer and take these goods to our convoy, though something told me that he'd also be returning with Princess Nyna in tow as well…

Now it was just us and the enemy general, and he sure didn't look too happy with us.

"Blast it! Why didn't those idiots stop them!"

"There's no one here to help you now." I told him, "Now give it up!"

"Never! I refuse to fall to you worthless rebels!" He thundered back as he readied his lance and shield…

I didn't think I was quite ready to face a general yet, so I decided to stay away from this battle, as I handed my armorslayer to Ogma. I witnessed him and Barst (who borrowed Bord's hammer) charge forth and slam their weapons upon him. He was quick enough to sidestep Ogma's strike, but the hammer caught him on his shoulder, so he stabbed at Barst to force him back…

"Barst, fall back quickly!" I called to him. Wrys and Lena quickly brought him away to heal him.

Draug then came up to match lances with the general. Emereus' armor proved to be thicker than Draug's, so the latter had a bit of trouble with stabbing his lance into the former, though some attacks did make it through. Now that Emereus was slowed down from Draug's assault, Ogma charged in again and landed a deep cut across the general's chest with the armorslayer.

"Agh! You blasted rebels!" he raged as he knocked Ogma aside with his shield. Merric then came in with his Excalibur magic, as sharp wind blades went right through Emereus' armor and shredded him from the inside out…

"Why… urgh…" he sputtered as he fell to the floor, dead as a doornail…

With that, Medon's forces were finally eliminated and Aurelis was free once again. I breathed in a sigh of relief, knowing that this struggle was finally laid to rest…

XXXXXXXXXX

We spent a couple of hours getting the castle cleaned up and our inventories sorted out. Marth, myself, and my grandfather were currently in the throne room, trying to think of our next course of action, but the sound of Lord Hardin opening the door got our attention…

Woah… is that the princess of Akaneia herself?

She was a beautiful, regal lady, probably in her early to mid 20's if I had to guess. I could hardly believe a gorgeous maiden like her existed…

At the same time, though, she did have something of a melancholy aura about her. It more than likely had to do with the fact that her family was slain by Doluna's forces…

My sympathy was with her entirely. I pretty much knew how that felt now…

Oh, hold on… she's speaking now. Taking my cue from everyone else, I bowed down…

"We meet at last, Prince Marth…" she began, "I am Nyna of House Akaneia."

"'Tis an honor to meet you, milady." The prince replied.

"For untold years, it has always been Akaneia's sworn duty to keep this world free from crisis, and I strove hard to fulfill this task. But now… Doluna has wrought death and destruction throughout my kingdom, and now the world may be soon to follow."

I listened carefully as she told us this. If Doluna's might was this powerful, then we were surely in for a rough time…

"Prince Marth…" she continued, "I must now turn to you for assistance. Please, in my place, lead your might against Doluna, and liberate this world from the empire's grasp."

Marth nodded, "I will do as you say, Princess Nyna. In the olden times, Altea has sworn loyalty to Akaneia, and I intend to uphold that oath. It's also my destiny as Anri's direct descendant to destroy the Shadow Dragon, Medeus, just as he did one century ago…"

"Thank you, Marth." Nyna replied, and then she took out what looked to be some kind of crest…

"Then I will give this to you." She continued as she presented this crest to Marth, "It is the holy symbol of Akaneia's royal family, the Fire Emblem. It serves as the proof of a true hero that can liberate the world from evil. Now that it is in your possession, you will have access to treasure chests across the lands and the items that they may hold."

"You have my thanks, Nyna. Until our world is brought out of darkness once more, I shall never stop fighting." Marth responded with resolution.

XXXXXXXXXX

Now that Aurelis was freed, we were granted quarters by the king until we thought up our next plan of action. Grandpa and I were once again discussing what to do next over a game of chess…

"So what do we do now, grandpa?" I asked him as I sent my bishop up to attack one of his pawns.

"Hm…" he mused as he sent out his rook, "It would probably be prudent if we liberated Akaneia next."

"So is this what we're going to have to do for the time being?" I questioned, sending out my other bishop, "Liberating kingdoms until we can mount our own offensive?"

"It's the only way, Christopher…" he replied.

What? Blast it, he got my only remaining knight with one of his bishops!

"Well, I guess you've got a point." I acceded, sending my bishop to take out one of his rooks, "At our current strength, we still wouldn't have a chance against Doluna's finest. If we can liberate the kingdoms still occupied by the empire, then maybe we'll gain some allies out of it…"

"That's precisely what I'm getting at." He said, as he thought of his next move, "There is strength in numbers after all…"

Gah… not again! My king has nowhere to run now…

"Checkmate."

*sigh*

I really need to study my tactics more…

"Don't get discouraged, Christopher." Grandpa tried to encourage me, "It normally takes a long time for one to master the art of strategy. You'll eventually have enough knowledge to hold your own in that field."

I could only nod at this. I just had to keep at it…

"Now let's get some sleep. Tomorrow we must depart for Akaneia, so you'll need to rest up for the trip…"

"Alright, grandpa. Goodnight…" I told him as I left his room to return to my own quarters. Since it was on the upper level, it took a short while to reach it. As I was walking, however, I noticed someone looking out on the balcony on the east end of the castle…

"Uh, excuse me. You over there…" I called to the person as I approached…

"Yes?"

To my surprise, when that person turned around, it was revealed to be Princess Nyna! Seeing what I just did, I quickly bowed down hoping that I didn't offend her…

"Ah! Er… I beg your pardon, Lady Nyna. I didn't know you were up here…" I quickly stammered out.

Gah, I feel like a real fool now…

She made a slight giggle as she replied, "No apologies necessary, young sir. Now please rise… there is no one else present."

Confused, I did as she said, "Er, right then…"

"Now, you were going to ask me something?" she questioned.

"Um, I just wanted to know why you were up here…" I meekly replied.

"I… was just thinking about all that has happened since I arrived here…"

"Is that right… well, I understand. I'm sure you've gone through many trials what with this war and all…" I said, being very careful not to mention her family's destruction.

"Yes… I have." She spoke sadly, "I was able to seek refuge here, but my family and my kingdom…"

"I know what you mean, sort of…" I replied, stopping her from going any further, "My parents met their end to one of Doluna's dragons. Only my grandfather and I were spared when we made our getaway as Altea fell to the empire…"

"Yes… Prince Marth told me of Gra's betrayal…" she responded, "But who is your grandfather?"

"He is Malledus, Marth's war advisor and a close friend of the late King Cornelius…" I clarified, "You did see him with us, didn't you?"

"Ah, of course…" Nyna answered, then she questioned me further, "So is that why you're fighting in Marth's ranks? To avenge your mother and father?"

"Yes… and I won't stop fighting until I make their killer pay…" I muttered, a bitter tone filling my voice once again.

When I looked up though, her slightly frightened expression snapped me out of my hate…

"Oh… my apologies. I didn't know…" She said solemnly, but I just shook my head.

"Don't trouble yourself over it, Lady Nyna. All I can do after I bring down their killer is serve my liege with my very life. It's what Mom and Dad would've wanted…"

She wordlessly nodded at my answer. A moment of awkward silence had passed before I spoke again…

"Well, it's getting late, so I think we'd better turn in for the night. Tomorrow we leave for Akaneia, your homeland, and I have no doubt that it's going to be a challenge trying to free it from Doluna's grip. I may not be a true soldier or knight… but I'll do everything I can to lend a hand."

She smiled slightly, "Thank you, young sir. I appreciate your efforts…"

"Of course, milady. It was great talking to you…" I replied, and was about to continue to my room, but then…

"Wait…"

"Er, yes?" I turned again to address the princess…

"I don't believe I ever learned your name…" She said.

Oh, I never introduced myself… whoops.

"Uh… my name is Christopher, but most others call me Chris." I replied, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Christopher…" she noted, then held back a bit of laughter as she witnessed my blushing face, "Very well then. I hope to see you in the morning…"

Regaining my composure, I nodded, "Of course, Lady Nyna. Until then though, goodnight…"

It took a couple of minutes after that little chat for me to find my room. Once I did though, I did my usual routine of writing down records of our current travels and figuring out good formations for everyone to follow.

A thought came to my mind as I wrote all of this down…

Lord Hardin… I only caught a glimpse of him when Lady Nyna was present with us hours ago, but I can't shake the feeling that he was enamored with her for some reason…

Can't say I blame him, though. A beautiful lady like her was sure to turn some heads…

My writings complete, I blew the candle out and went to my bed to sleep…

Once daybreak comes, we'll make for our next destination… The Holy Kingdom of Akaneia.

Because of Doluna's might, it has suffered much hardship. Now it's up to us to liberate the kingdom and the rest of the world…

Whether or not we've got the power to do it all, I'll soon figure that out in the morning…

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER**

_And there you have it. Another chapter said and done._

_As always, if you've any reviews, suggestions, or any other commentary, I'd love to hear it._

_Until next time, farewell._


	5. Running the Gauntlet

_**DISCLAIMER: **__I love Fire Emblem, but I do not own the series. It still belongs to Nintendo and Intelligent Systems._

_Quick shout-out to MattyBoy91 and his fic, "Eyes of a Sellsword: Path of Radiance". It's a pretty darn good story and I recommend checking it out!_

_(And hopefully he won't mind that little recommendation blurb =P)_

_Also, I'll be experimenting with changes in the POV. Let me know how that works out…_

_Alright, the time for talk is over. It's time for another chapter!_

_

* * *

_

**CHAPTER 4**

**Running the Gauntlet**

_Although Aurelis had been freed, we still had much work ahead of us if we were to put an end to Doluna's rule._

_Our next objective now was to travel to the Kingdom of Akaneia and free the land from the empire's tyrannical reign. It took about 4 days of planning, but we eventually settled on what route to take to Pales, the kingdom's capital._

_Unfortunately, the fastest route to Akaneia meant that we had to travel through the Valley of Lefcandith. With several forts stationed in that area, it'll more than likely prove to be a formidable gauntlet to breach._

_The fact that the Whitewings, a squadron of knights led by one Princess Minerva, were also present here only served as an added burden to what was surely going to be a rough battle…_

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Minerva POV)**

How did it come to this…

My father and my brother, Michalis, had always disagreed on how to approach Doluna, but to kill him over this issue… to call this foolish would be a grave understatement. I still can't believe he would do this…

I continued to mull over my thoughts as General Harmein discussed how to best handle the fast approaching Altean army…

"So it is settled then." He explained, "We'll wait for the enemy to approach, and when they do, we'll surprise them with enemy reinforcements."

He turned towards my fleet next.

"Princess, you and your squadron will draw their attention down here. Once they come down here, that is when we'll crush those misguided rebels."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Did he seriously mean for me to fight with such a cowardly strategy and still keep my honor intact? I voiced my dissent…

"General Harmein, I cannot abide by your tactics. I want this to be an open front battle, so that I may preserve my pride as a knight of Medon."

With a sneer, the general shook his head…

"Your headstrong sense of pride cost us several of our troops in Aurelis, Princess. Confronting the rebels head-on would be disastrous if we were to fight this battle your way. That is why we need to stall them while we replenish our forces…"

I narrowed my eyes in frustration, but he was quick to catch me giving him that look.

"You would do well to remember your place, Princess Minerva. His Highness stationed me here at this post, and as long as I command it, you will follow my orders. If you disobey the empire, then I can't guarantee that your younger sister will have a future…" the general continued.

At this, I froze briefly…

Maria…

Because of my brother's actions, Doluna has taken her hostage. As long as they have her, she'll be in danger, and there's nothing I can do to rescue her either…

I was left with little choice…

"That's enough, general." I growled, "I'll follow your command, but you'll soon realize that your tactics won't stop Altea's forces. Your strategy will be your undoing…"

"Hmph," he dismissed, "We'll just see about that, princess. Now, make yourself and your squadron useful and fly away at once!"

I was REALLY tempted to slam my axe, Hauteclere, through his head to silence him, but I knew that would do me no good, so I simply nodded and directed my fleet to fly north, to where the Altean army was waiting. It only took a few minutes before I could see the soldiers marching south…

"Princess Minerva!" one of my troops, Palla, called out, "The enemy is in range! What are your orders?"

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV, 8 minutes ago)**

Over the course of our travels, I had decided that I needed to try and meet with some of our newest members.

Matthis, Lena's older brother, explained why he was doing battle for Medon despite having no love for war. Apparently, his presence as a soldier was punishment by his liege, Michalis, and he would either have to fight or face execution.

Considering that someone like him faced death either way, I couldn't really fault him for being frightened of me in our first encounter. He warmed up to me eventually, though…

Some people, like Wolf, Sedgar, and Vyland – three of Hardin's men – weren't very social with anyone, and thus didn't really give me much thought, but Roshea was nice enough at least, so I made pretty good friends with him.

Rickard told me that he always looked up to Julian when he was younger, and that was why he decided to be a thief. I only shook my head at this… that kind of lifestyle doesn't get anyone anywhere except a quick trip to the afterlife.

As for my conversations with Lady Nyna, they were somewhat rare in comparison to everyone else. All I knew about her was that she was a kind princess, if a tad bit melancholy.

In any case, I was once again trying to see if there was any other route we could follow, as I was in disagreement with my grandfather's current plan.

"Grandpa, are you really sure this is the only way to Akaneia?"

"I'm afraid so, Christopher. Any other way to the kingdom would only be impractical. This is the most effective trail that I could come up with."

I let out a sigh of disappointment…

Although this route was fast, the forts stationed in the valley did little to ease my fears. This could very well be a trap…

I was awakened from my thoughts as I heard galloping noises…

"Abel? What did you find?" Marth asked the green-armored knight.

"Sire, there are pegasus knights and dracoknights coming in from the south!"

"It must be Lady Minerva's squadron! They'll be upon us in minutes…" Hardin noted.

"Archers advance now! We must bring them down quickly!" my grandfather called out.

Some of the pegasus knights were quick to fall to our arrows, and even a couple of dracoknights were also brought down thanks to a thorough shredding from Merric's Excalibur. Directing Julian to open up a closed off area in the mountains, Marth, Cain, and I fought our way through the foes stationed there. I crossed blades with a couple of mercenaries as Cain brought his lance right through the two archers.

Once the area was cleared, Marth and I went inside the village, which looked like it wasn't inhabited much. Regardless, we warned everyone of the battle outside, and we were about to leave, when…

"You two there…"

Eh? Who was that?

We turned to see an elderly looking man with a red cloak and… wait a minute, are those wings?

"Have you seen a young girl by the name of Tiki recently?" he asked.

"No we haven't, sir. Why are you so troubled about this matter?" the prince questioned.

"She must be found as soon as possible!" he exclaimed, "Tiki is the only remaining survivor of the Naga, the clan of divine dragons! If we don't have her powers then we won't have a chance at defeating the manakete that serve Medeus…"

So Tiki is a divine dragon…

Hold on, that man has wings, so does that mean…

My eyes narrowed as I came to the conclusion that seemed likely.

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking, are you also a manakete?"

"Well, yes. I am a fire dragon… but only by name now. My dragonstone was lost in Pyrathi, so I would only burden you on the field."

Dragonstone… That one we received in Aurelis must've been it!

"Sire…" I spoke to him only loud enough for him to hear, "That dragonstone we got in Aurelis… do you think it belongs to him?"

"Well, the one who gave me the stone did say he found it in Pyrathi, so it's very likely…"

We both nodded and turned back to him…

"Actually, we have your dragonstone with us. It was only by chance that we have it in our possession, but we'll return it to you." Marth told the manakete.

"Splendid! If that's the case, then I will come with you. If we travel together, then we may just find Tiki. Let this old man show you just how powerful the dragonkin really are…"

Once Marth, myself, and this new member, whom we learned was named Banutu, left the area, we noticed something wasn't right…

How come the skies were clear of enemies?

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Minerva POV)**

Blast it! Altea's forces had come well prepared for our attack. Most of the pegasus knights and even a few dracoknights in the squadron had fallen to their arrows.

These tactics weren't worth the metal that Hauteclere was made from!

"Palla, Catria, Est! We withdraw at once!" I ordered, and thus we broke away to the east. Harmein can fight this one on his own, but he will not tarnish my pride by making me a part of his losses!

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Marth POV)**

It was oddly quiet when we departed from the village. Earlier, our bowmen were shooting down several pegasus knights and dracoknights… and Princess Minerva was said to be among them…

So why are the skies clear now?

"Malledus! What happened out here?" I asked him.

"Sire, it appears Princess Minerva and what was left of her squadron have left the battlefield. But it's strange… why would they do that?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, grandpa." I heard Chris say from behind me.

"In any case…" Jeigan cut in, "This should make our trip south slightly easier. Let us march at once!"

And thus we marched onward…

Sheeda decided to scout from above to see if any foes lied in wait, but she didn't find anyone in sight, save for the enemy general.

"This is strange… only the general is here waiting for us." She mused…

Why would he be here by himself? This is all too strange…

Once we drew near the castle gates, however, it all became clear…

"Hah, you rebels are stupider than I thought! Now everyone… attack at once! Crush them all!"

Fortunately for us, they had very little in the way of reinforcements. Only a couple of cavaliers and some armored knights stood in our way…

Wait… where's Banutu going?

My eyes widened at what I saw happening…

Before us all, a bright light enveloped the manakete and his form grew to a massive size. When the light faded away, it was replaced with a massive red dragon! I witnessed him take in a huge breath, and he blew out a massive cloud of flame toward our foes, scorching them into nothingness…

Needless to say, the enemy general was shocked at what he just saw.

"H-How! A manakete has joined the rebels!"

After the enemies were vanquished, Banutu turned back to normal. He looked a little tired after changing back, however…

"Gr… reinforcements, come out at once!" the general called again… but no one was around to answer his call.

"Ha, is that all you can conjure?" I heard Cain taunt the general, "Seems your princess decided to leave you to us now!"

The general turned furious at his words…

"Grr… accursed pride of hers. Very well, then! If I'm going to die here, then you'll be coming with me!" he raged, and he brought out his lance.

I drew my rapier, Ogma his armorslayer, and Barst his hammer.

The general stuck out his lance, trying to gouge one of us, but Barst sidestepped his thrust and smashed his hammer into his shoulder, leaving a good size dent in his armor. Ogma then ran in and sliced right into the dent, leaving a pretty good size hole in the chestplate…

"Argh…!"

I had to act fast, so I darted in and thrusted my blade into him, the point exiting his back. That blow was sure to put an end to him…

"Damn that… traitorous wench…" he coughed out, as his body gave out finally.

I flicked my blade to get the blood off, and sheathed my weapon once more. The area looked to be empty, so we decided to occupy the fort he was currently stationed in…

All things considered, this gauntlet wasn't too bad. I guess we owe Princess Minerva her thanks for sparing us all…

XXXXXXXXXX

Our arrangements were made as we prepared to rest up for the night. Over the course of our stay, however, I did notice Chris staring at our newest member, Banutu, with something resembling resentment…

I should ask him about that soon…

"Prince Marth, are you present?" I heard Malledus call me.

"I am… do you need something?"

"I need you to come with me. It's about some important business."

"I'll be there in just a moment…"

Wondering what this was about, I left my quarters and found Malledus in the foyer of the castle waiting for me. To my surprise, Chris was there too…

"Now then, sire. It is time that you and my grandson learned more about the Manaketes."

"The dragonkin…" I heard Chris mutter darkly.

"Yes, Christopher. I wasn't sure how much either of you knew about them, so that is why I've decided to tell you what I know of them."

"So what do you have to tell us?" I asked.

"The tribes of manakete have long existed well before the dawn of mankind, but after some time they had to suppress their power in special stones. As such, they chose to live anonymous, peaceful lives on the frontier lands as opposed to terrorizing the human race."

I nodded, taking all this in as Malledus continued…

"Unfortunately, things had changed a century ago as the Dark Dragon, Medeus, surfaced in the region of Doluna. With all the strength of the dragonkin that despised all mankind, he formed up his powerful empire and soon brought the whole continent under his rule…"

Malledus took a short breath, then continued…

"But as doom drew nigh and all hope had faded, a young man called Anri would rise up to challenge the Shadow Dragon. With the holy sword of light, Falchion, he would strike down the foul beast and vanquish him into the darkness from where he came. Of course, he would go on to found the kingdom of Altea… and I'm sure you know the rest."

"Is that all that this is about, Malledus? I'm already aware of my kingdom's history…"

"I think I know what he's getting at, sire." Chris finally spoke up, "Seeing that you're the great hero's only male descendant remaining, it's up to you now to find the sword of light so that Doluna can be destroyed for good."

"Yes… I'll finish what my father started, and restore light to this world…" I replied, but then I remembered Chris' look he gave Banutu and so I asked him…

"Chris, there's something I want to ask you. I noticed that you had given a sour look towards Banutu… why?"

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

Why was he asking me this? I seriously didn't want to answer the question… but I wasn't left with any choice now.

"I… er…"

"Christopher… it's about your mother and father, isn't it?" I heard my grandfather ask, but it sounded more like a statement than anything else…

Gah…

"Look, I don't want to talk about it…" I said, as I hurried back to my room.

What was I to tell them? That I couldn't stand manaketes now because one robbed me of my family?

The door opened as Marth and my grandfather came in after me…

"Please, Chris… just answer my question." The prince told me.

I wasn't saying anything…

"Christopher…" grandpa started, "You were looking scornfully at Banutu because it was a manakete that slew your mother and father… is that right?"

Leave it to grandpa to hit the nail right on the head…

"Why didn't you tell me this, Chris?" Marth asked me…

"Because I didn't want to burden you with my troubles, sire. You've got enough on your mind as it stands, don't you? You shouldn't have to worry about my problems…"

"Yes, but that doesn't-"

"And how do I even know that dragon isn't going to betray us for Doluna's side?" I cut him off, a slight edge in my voice, "I have my doubts about his intentions…"

"Chris… Banutu looked to be sincere when he told us of his plight. It would be wrong of us to refuse our aid to him…"

Grandpa spoke next, and he held a stern tone…

"Christopher… if this is how you're going to act from now on, then I'm afraid I'll have to suspend you from taking the field. If you are not in a good state of mind when in battle, then you are only putting yourself and your friends at risk."

"What? But…"

"Listen… I am only trying to look out for you, grandson. While you've proven to be a capable fighter, your desire for vengeance will only bring you sorrow and ultimately hinder your true potential."

At this… they both left, but grandpa left with a few parting words…

"You need to ask yourself if that is what your mother and father would want from you."

The door closed… leaving me to my own thoughts once again…

I shook my head… I had this kind of talk several days ago with Sister Lena and Lady Nyna. How could I have forgotten it so quickly?

Deep down, however, I knew why I had forgotten. Ever since I read the letter, my opinion of the dragonkin (of which I had little knowledge of at the time) had fallen tremendously. Doluna harbored those manaketes that hated mankind… and the one who slaughtered my mom and dad had to have been one of them. I only wanted Doluna to pay for what they did, and everyone who came from there was no friend to me in my eyes. These words of wisdom meant little to me every time I dwelled on this matter…

I looked outside my room at the sky, where a full moon greeted my vision…

As I did this, several questions haunted my mind, constantly running through me, waiting for answers that I thought I had, but don't now…

Why am I fighting in this war?

Am I only here as an excuse to get revenge?

Would mom and dad even want me to do this in their name?

Do I really belong in Prince Marth's service when my task is completed?

I shook my head wearily. Why did this blasted war have to come about? Things were so simple when times were peaceful… when mom and dad were still alive.

With no answer to my questions coming to mind, I just blew out the candle and went to sleep… restless as it was.

XXXXXXXXXX

_Thanks to Princess Minerva's unexpected withdrawal, we were successful in entering the region of Akaneia._

_Considering all the skirmishes we had to put up with to get here, we were looking pretty battered as an army. Per grandpa's suggestion, Marth decided we should take a rest in the port town of Warren. It was only a couple of days of travel, but the trip there was fairly uneventful._

_A hefty sum of gold was the only reason this harbor still had its freedom from Doluna, so it came it came as no surprise that we would receive a warm welcome here…_

XXXXXXXXXX

"Hey! The liberation army is here!" a villager called to several others, "At last! Akaneia will be free again!"

The cheers we received were pretty deafening, I had to admit. However, I still had my own problems on my mind, so I eventually phased out all the applause. Roshea took notice of my disorientation and approached me…

"Chris? Is something troubling you?"

I remained quiet, not wanting to say anything…

"You can tell me. I want to help you…"

I shook my head, "It's nothing you need to concern yourself with, Roshea. I'll be fine…"

Roshea gave me a look of doubt, but nodded, "Well, if you need someone to talk to, I'll be around…"

I nodded, and so he left. Left on my own, I decided to see what all the shops were selling…

The armory had some pretty nifty weapons. I was tempted to try the only rapier that they had on sale, but I thought better of it. A weapon like that required speed and finesse, and I was sorely lacking in both those areas…

In the end, I decided to sell my old iron sword (which now had a slight crack in the middle of the blade), and buy myself a silver sword. When I tested it out, I quickly found that it was extremely sharp… perfect when you're facing some deadly opposition. The only downside to this was the fact that I was left with very little gold at that point.

Well, I got myself a new sword, but now I'm all but broke! It's going to take forever to find more gold now… or so I thought.

"Hey Cord! Looks like there are some battles going on in the arena." I heard Bord speak.

"Yeah, I can see that. You're saying you want to go in there and bust some heads yourself?" Cord replied.

"Of course! I could just say to Captain Ogma that I can build up funds this way. He'll understand, won't he?"

Huh… now there's an idea…

Hurrying back to grandpa, who was currently at the inn with Marth, I told him all that had happened and my plan to get more gold…

"What! You want to fight in the arena? Are you mad?"

"What's the big deal?" I questioned, not sure where he was going with this.

"Christopher, the fights in there are usually to the death! You could get killed in there!"

"Then it's no different than being out on the field now, isn't it?"

Grandpa sighed and conceded, seeing that I wasn't going to back down from this plan.

"Very well then. Just remember that you can at least quit the fight if you're taking too much punishment in there…"

"Come on, grandpa. You of all people should know that I never back down from a challenge."

"Yes, well… don't be too reckless in the arena. Prince Marth and all of us will be watching!"

"I understand… I'll make you all proud." I smirked, as I left the inn. My destination now was the coliseum at the center of town.

Along the way, however, I heard a voice…

"Hey! Chris!"

Huh, it was Cain!

"Cain? What are you doing here?"

"Commander Jeigan gave me leave to try my hand at fighting in the arena. What about you?"

"I'm here for the same reason. Maybe it'll take my mind off this war or something…"

"Heh, so you want to drown out all the fighting with more fighting?" he smirked, "An odd line of thinking, but whatever works for you!"

"Yeah, yeah… let's just head inside."

After a couple of minutes, we made our way to the entrance. A bald, scarred looking man with an eye-patch over his left eye looked down at me as I approached the gates…

"What do you want, kid? This ain't no place for sightseein'!"

I was a tad bit intimidated, but I spoke…

"Uh, I'm here to fight sir…" I said, showing him my sword. His response…

"Ha! A little runt like you wanting to fight here? You wouldn't last one second in there! But hey, it's your life you're throwing away…"

Sighing, I just tossed him a bag of gold. It was all I had left…

"200 gold? Hah! Sorry kid, but I'm gonna need more than that to allow you in here!"

"In that case…" Cain suddenly spoke up, "Here. This is for him as well…"

He gave the man a larger sack of gold…

"600 gold? Well, I guess I can allow him inside now…"

The man took us both inside the waiting area, where another huge person was also waiting. He was scarred too, but at least he had both of his eyes intact…

"Alright, you little maggots, listen up! The rules of the arena are simple. It's no holds barred and you can use whatever tricks you want when you face your opponent! If you can't beat your foe, then you have the option to submit, but we get to keep the wager you gave us."

He eyed us all as we listened.

"If you wish to leave, now's the time to do it!"

All of us (that's Cain, Bord, and myself) stayed put. We were better than that…

"Good to see that you're all not a bunch of cowards. Now then, which one of you is Bord?"

The axe-man stood up.

"It's time for your match, now get to it!" He said as he beckoned him into the inner circle of the arena…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Ogma POV)**

It had been many years since I last set foot in a coliseum.

Bord said that this would be a good way to make some money, and I had no problem with that…

But I didn't want any part in fighting in the arena… not anymore. The memories still hit a sore spot with me…

At any rate, I looked down at the center of the coliseum as Bord made his way in. His opponent was a red-haired myrmidon in a green outfit. I'd say he's about a few years older than Chris…

Shouldn't be too bad, as long as Bord keeps his… never mind.

What happened was that Bord just recklessly charged in swinging, but all of his strikes were too slow to nail his foe. After that, he suffered several cuts from the myrmidon and his sword, and thus was forced to submit…

So much for a good way to get gold…

As Bord was forced to exit the stage, one of Prince Marth's knights (Cain, I think), entered after him. He had to face an armored knight, so he brought in his horse as well…

This battle wasn't too bad, as Cain managed to land some good lance thrusts and ride away before the knight could fight back. This kept up for a while until Cain finally penetrated the foe's chestplate, running him through right where his heart was. The knight fell to the ground, dead in a puddle of his own blood.

Everyone cheered upon seeing the fight and its outcome. As for Cain, he got his reward of 1350 gold…

Now, everyone was waiting for the next combatants to make their entrance…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

Cain made his way back into the inner areas of the coliseum. I gave him a good handshake…

"Well played, Cain. He didn't have a chance!" I praised.

"Yeah, good thing I had my horse handy." He grinned, then beckoned me to the fighting stage…

"Alright Chris, it's your time to shine now. Good luck!"

I nodded and went to the center of the ring, where I was met with some cheers, which I figured came from Prince Marth and those in our army who decided to watch. Too bad it was nearly drowned out by all the jeers I received from nearly everyone else…

What? They've never seen a 16 year old in an arena before or something?

Brushing that thought aside, the gate I was facing opened to reveal a blond swordfighter wearing a red and yellow outfit. His sword looked to be as big as my own…

"Huh, so you're my opponent, are you?" I asked.

"That I am. So what are we standing around here for?" he replied.

"Well, the people want to see a fight, so let's give them one!"

With that, we drew our weapon and charged at one another. I kept swinging hard, hoping to score a hit somewhere, but he was matching me blow for blow, stopping me from making contact…

"Hah… you're pretty good…"

As we continued to clash, I finally found an opening. On his attack, I steered his sword down with my own and jammed my elbow into his head. This caught him off guard, allowing me to take my weapon and slash at his chest. The cut wasn't that deep, so it wasn't enough to immobilize him…

"Argh! Pretty good trick, but I'm not done yet!"

Now he was coming at me really quick! I could barely keep my guard up as he swung his blade, and I could barely land any hits on him while he was striking. Soon, he broke through my guard, kicked me to knock me back even further, and then sliced at my mid-section!

"Gah!"

I was slowed down some, but at least it wasn't enough to stop me from fighting. As I continued to fight, I swung downward, but he raised his sword and blocked it, so I tried a side swing, but he was fast enough to stop that one as well. He rose up his sword to swing at me, so I rose up mine to prepare to parry…

Well, it didn't quite work out like I thought it would. Instead of swinging, he kicked my legs out from under me, and I fell backwards right on the seat of my pants. When I tried to get up, he was already on me, his sword right at my neck…

Geez, it's déjà vu all over again…

"Surrender now. I don't want to have to kill you here."

Guess I'll have to apologize to Cain when I leave. He just wasted 400 gold on me now…

"Fine… I yield." I said, raising my hands. I had nowhere to run, and if I tried to fight back, he'd simply run me through and finish me right there. When he offered me his hand, I just shrugged my shoulders and shook it.

"Good match. Maybe we might meet again." He told me.

"Yeah, but we'll just have to see…"

Sportsmanship must've been something he held close to mind or something, because most of the people I've seen in this place look pretty ruthless…

At any rate, I left the arena on the losing end of that fight. The guy at the entrance smirked when I came into view…

"So you're still alive, eh? Too bad you lost your bet, boy!"

"Oh shut up…" I grumbled. I wasn't in the mood to play around, so I just went back to the inn and had Sister Lena heal my injuries…

XXXXXXXXXX

The moon lit up the night sky as I wandered the halls of the inn. I was still thinking about what grandpa told me just two days ago… but that was until I ran into Banutu, our manakete ally… well, so he claimed anyways…

"Oh… good evening." I muttered.

"What is wrong, child?"

"Nothing…"

"I highly doubt that. Don't think I haven't noticed you looking at me hatefully, boy."

Ulp… I'm in a lot of trouble now, aren't I?

He continued, "Believe me, child. You're not the only one I have seen who has harbored fear or hatred of the dragonkin."

"Then why do you continue talking to me if you know that?"

"Because I just want to know… why?"

I let out a short sigh of frustration…

Given that he already knows what I think of him, it'd be of no use for me to hide it any more.

I spent the next couple of minutes telling him my reasons as far as why I harbor a grudge towards Doluna and the dragonkin.

Banutu nodded in understanding once I finished…

"I see… it is regrettable that you had to suffer the loss of your family at the hands of a dragon. However, you must believe me when I say I am not one of them. I do not agree with Medeus' ideals or ambitions, and that is why Tiki needs to be found. With her powers, you and your friends will stand a much better chance at opposing Doluna and the manaketes that fight under the Shadow Dragon's name. Besides… if I really meant to harm you all, I would have long since done so in our first encounter."

I was completely silent as I paid attention to him.

As I put things into perspective… I realized he was right…

He did sound genuine enough not to be an enemy, and maybe whoever this Tiki is… maybe she could be an ally for us as well…

"I understand…" I told him, "I still a bit reluctant to trust you… but maybe seeing it from your eyes will give me an answer to the questions that still bother me…"

"Then I'm thankful we've had this talk. Be at peace… Christopher." He replied, then went on his way…

Left to my own accord, I simply went back to my room, too tired to do much else.

Blowing out the candle in my room, I laid down on my bed, the questions in my mind now becoming clearer. With Banutu's outlook on his circumstances, I came to the following conclusions:

I was fighting in this war for a reason. To help my liege in his journey to restore our homeland and destroy the oppressive Doluna empire…

My purpose for fighting… it shouldn't be about revenge. Not anymore…

I'll fight now… so that no one else may suffer the same trauma that Lord Marth and I did when Altea fell. I'm sure mom and dad would accept my decision wholeheartedly.

And who knows? Maybe serving under the prince might actually be exciting…

With these thoughts in mind, I let my eyes close for the night…

Hopefully we'll have some time to re-arm before we decide on how to reach the Akaneian capital, Pales.

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER**

_That's another chapter completed!_

_Heh, it ought to be pretty easy to figure out who Bord's and Chris' opponents were. =P_

_As per usual, all reviews and commentary are encouraged._

_Until next time, farewell._


	6. A Dragon's Rage and a Troubled Princess

_**DISCLAIMER: **__Fire Emblem belongs to Nintendo and Intelligent Systems. Only the OC, Chris, is mine._

_***REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_**MattyBoy91: **__I just needed something to put in this space. LOL. Doesn't mean you absolutely have to. =P_

_As always, I'll keep on rolling!_

_***END REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_Now, what say we get this chapter up and running?_

* * *

**CHAPTER 5**

**A Dragon's Rage and a Troubled Princess**

_After my little show in the local arena, I needed a good long rest from the beating I received from that mercenary. It was a good thing that this port was defended well by the hired swords that populate this area…_

_Too bad this recuperation wouldn't last past our first day here. A rude awakening would tell me the reason for that…_

XXXXXXXXXX

"Christopher! Wake up and get your belongings! Hurry!"

Nngh… damn it. I was in the middle of a nice dream too…

Still feeling a little disoriented, I shouted back…

"What're you trying to say, grandpa?"

"No time to explain, just hurry!"

Argh… of all the…

Forcing myself awake, I quickly got dressed and grabbed my goods, darting outside to meet everyone…

Soon, all of us were at the gates of the port town, including…

Hey! I know these guys! These are the two foes Bord and I faced in the arena! But what are they doing here?

"Prince Marth," The blond mercenary began, "My name is Caesar, and my companion here is called Radd." He motioned to the red-haired myrmidon, "We're hired mercenaries in service to Port Warren."

"It's good to meet you two, but what are you with us for?" the prince replied.

"To join your company and to warn you, Sire. Grust's forces are currently stationed at the forts to the north. It will only be a matter of time before they descend upon us, so we cannot stay in this area much longer."

"This looks like a grave situation…" I heard grandpa mutter, "We must move out at once!"

With our forces now re-armed and ready for combat, we quickly marched north and east, circling past the mountains…

"If we can get to the eastern fort and eliminate their commander, then we should be able to get away…" Radd told us.

Unfortunately, it wasn't going to be that easy. The bridge to the eastern fort was blocked by several horsemen and armored knights.

"Don't let those rebels pass! Crush them all!" I heard a voice shout from beyond the bridge. I'm guessing it was their commander…

As Abel, Cain, Caesar and I dealt with the horsemen, I noticed out of the corner of my eye Sheeda approaching one of their knights…

I was able to break away from the enemy lines to see just what the heck Sheeda was planning. Part of me wondered if she was going to make talking to the enemy a habit or something…

Though that knight she's talking to sure looks flustered… heh.

Wait, what's she doing now? I heard something about innocent lives being affected by this war, but…

After a bit more conversation, the knight (whose face was now quite red at whatever it was Sheeda told him) shook his head at whatever she was asking. Sheeda nodded and attempted to fly away…

Hold on, is he… coming this way? Hoo boy…

Shaking my head, I decided to go speak to Sheeda about this whole thing…

"Er, Lady Sheeda?" I asked her.

"Yes, Chris?"

"Uhm… what exactly did you say to that knight back there?"

"Oh, Sir Roger? I just asked if he had anyone in his heart and told him how it's horrible that this war affects the innocent…"

"Uh… I see." I chuckled nervously.

"Is there a problem…?"

"Er, no… it's just that it seemed you were thinking of, well…"

It took only a few minutes for Sheeda to catch my drift, but when she did, her face flushed…

"What? Chris! You know I still …" she stopped herself as she blushed further, her eyes drifting towards Marth.

"Heh, I understand. I'm just saying… I didn't know you had that side in you." I grinned.

"Chris! Now's not the time!"

"Hah…" I stopped laughing, and turned towards the east, "You're right. Let's keep going… heh."

As we crossed the bridge, I noticed that Ogma had cut down the knight waiting for us with his armorslayer. The sliced open armor plates and the deep lacerations in his chest told me he wasn't getting back up…

However, this wasn't the end of their forces. A whole swarm of soldiers began pouring out of the forts behind us! We had to get out of there! Thankfully, Grust had neglected to guard their ships at this fort, so we decided to hijack their only vessel and beat a hasty retreat…

XXXXXXXXXX

Whew… that was a close one.

It was only thanks to their negligence that we were able to secure a vessel to escape.

The question now, however, was where to move next.

"Grandpa? Where do we go now? Grust could very well be hot on our trail now…"

"There's only one place we can run to at the moment… it's the Isle of Pyrathi."

As he said this however, he sounded a little uneasy…

"Um… why do you sound ill at ease about that?"

"It's the king of that island, grandson." He told me, "Rumor has it that the ruler of that place is… a manakete."

I froze in shock at this…

A manakete? I… I couldn't believe it!

"Christopher, I must tell you this now. If you're still going to fight with us, then you must keep a level head. Just charging at this foe blindly will lead to your death."

"I… understand."

With that, I turned to make my way back to my cabin…

As I did this, however, I noticed that Grustian knight Roger approach. He looked a bit beleaguered, so I decided to see what his problem was…

"Hey, you there."

"Um, yes?"

"You look like something's bothering you. Care to explain?"

"Well… I just finished speaking with your prince, and he asked me why I decided to join your cause. When I answered him, I…"

He looked pretty hesitant to continue, so I finished for him.

"Let me guess, you mentioned that Lady Sheeda prompted you to join us, right?"

"Yes… and when I said that, he was silent and he simply nodded at me to fall in with his ranks."

I snickered as he said this. Guess someone should tell him…

"Hehe… Roger, you don't seem to know the truth." I said.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Sorry to disappoint you, but Lady Sheeda is already taken."

"W-What? By whom?"

"By Prince Marth." I grinned.

Boy was his face red now! I couldn't stop myself from laughing…

"Well… that is certainly awkward…" he finally said, "Oh, stop laughing! I get it!"

"Hey, all I can tell you is that you'll just have to look elsewhere, friend."

He sighed…

"Well, I suppose you're right… it was a nice thought while it lasted."

I just shrugged my shoulders and went back to my room, still waiting for this ship to get to Pyrathi.

XXXXXXXXXX

_It was just our ill-fated luck that Grust happened to catch us off guard. Because of their ambush, we were left with little choice but to flee to Pyrathi Island, a realm that didn't have much contact with the outside world._

_Unfortunately, once we made landfall we realized that we quickly earned the king's hostility here. Many soldiers were lying in wait, ready to engage our own men. As if to add to our growing accursed luck, there's word that the king of this island is actually a manakete… one of the dragon kin._

_So much for letting sleeping dragons lie, as the old saying goes…_

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Marth POV)**

This island didn't have much to offer at first glance. Sedgar and Vyland scouted the area ahead, then returned after a few minutes…

"Anything of importance we need to know about?" I heard Lord Hardin ask his subordinates…

"Not much, my liege. Only a couple of temples and a small village. As far as enemy forces, there are several hunters and pirates south of our location."

"Any idea what we should do, sire?" Chris asked me.

Hm… I think there may be something we can do.

"First things first, we secure the village and warn the locals. Julian and Rickard should search the temples for any valuables. After that, it should all be a matter of dealing with the enemy…"

"Sounds easy enough…"

Malledus then came in with his own input…

"Yes… but there's still the matter of how to deal with Mannu, the king of this isle."

"You can leave him to me." I then heard Merric add his take.

"Hrm… that might actually work. Alright Merric, we'll be counting on you to deal with him." Malledus replied.

Okay, we've built our strategy…

"Let's move out, everyone!" I called, and departed for the village to the east. Abel, Norne, Gordin, and Rickard also accompanied me…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

I was left in command of the rest of our forces, so I sent Julian to handle the larger temple.

Within minutes, several pirates swarmed the area, so I and the other four swordfighters met their challenge. Ogma and I double teamed one of the opponents, with me slicing at his legs to immobilize him and Ogma landing the killing blow. Meanwhile, Navarre used his superior speed to out-maneuver another pirate and landed several cuts before ending him with a thrust to his chest.

We had to fall back, however, as a few hunters also made their presence known with their arrows. Cain, Vyland, and even Matthis rode in to deal with the threat, and the hunters were too slow to get away from getting shafted on our cavaliers' lances.

"'Ey! These guys are trespassin' on our territory! Let's get 'em, mates!"

Uh oh…

Soon, more pirates began to swarm onto the scene as they came from the forts just off the southern shore. But what I wasn't expecting were three arrows being shot from behind us nailing three of the pirates right in the head!

Woah… those were some good shots, and at this distance too!

"Uhm… Castor? When did you get so good with a bow?" I asked him…

"It wasn't me, Chris… it was that man over there…" he pointed at the man who did it.

He was a blond man in his mid 20's, and he wore a white headband along with lightweight red and brown armor. The Orion's Bolt symbol on his armor told me that he was a veteran archer… or as I like to call them, a sniper.

"Were you the one who fired those shots?" I asked him.

"Yes… my name is Jeorge." The sniper introduced himself, "I was taken prisoner by Doluna after Akaneia fell, but I managed to get away from their imprisonment. Your liege told me that Princess Nyna is with you all, so I will fight by your sides."

"Good to have you, Sir Jeorge. You're pretty handy with a bow."

He smirked, "That's several years of marksmanship experience you're seeing. Now, let's keep going!"

We continued to clash with the Pyrathi pirates along the southern coast. During the fight, I noticed that some of these foes were packing hammers, so I commanded Draug and Roger to stay back so their armor didn't get damaged. Thankfully, Jeorge made up for that by picking off the hammer pirates.

The surf ran red with the blood of the pirates when all was said and done…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Marth POV)**

After the pirates were slain, Jeigan rode up to me…

"Sire, all we have left is Mannu to deal with. Merric's magic will work wonders on him, but surely there are other ways to combat this manakete…"

Then Rickard spoke up…

"Guys! Look what I found! It was in the smaller temple not far from here!"

Hey! This was a Wyrmslayer! This will surely come in handy for dealing with the king of this realm…

I turned to Julian next, "Julian, what did you find?"

"15,000 gold and this odd figurine…"

"An odd figurine? Well… I guess someone should hold on to it for now. Maybe it'll be useful for something…"

After depositing the gold into our convoy, we braced ourselves and marched onward to the castle just west of our current location…

The gates opened, revealing what at first glance appeared to be an old man in a green cloak… but the wings on his back told us otherwise.

Rickard handed Radd the wyrmslayer, as Merric brought out Excalibur…

"So, you foolhardy humans dare defy a manakete king? Then prepare to suffer my fiery wrath!"

Just like Bantu, a bright light formed around him as he shapeshifted into a gargantuan red dragon! This was going to be a difficult battle…

Our archers' arrows had little effect on the beast, as many of them bounced right off its hard scales. Only Jeorge's arrows had much of an effect, and that was probably because he knew just where to aim for maximum damage. We barely dodged the blast of fire he blew at us as Merric sent waves of his wind magic to slice into him. This had a much better effect on him, as the power of the spell left several cuts upon the dragon.

Still, Mannu persisted in battling, and he slammed a powerful claw into Matthis, sending him flying off his horse. Chris attempted a swing at the dragon, but his sword couldn't penetrate its scales. He managed to get away before its claw smashed the position he was standing in seconds ago…

But what happened next was something I wasn't prepared for…

Before anyone realized what was going on, Matthis had gotten back on his horse, still battered hard from the dragon's strike. He had his lance raised, ready to try and thrust into him before Mannu could react. Unfortunately… the dragon caught him charging at him…

"No! Matthis, get out of there now!" Chris called out to the cavalier… but it was too late.

What greeted Lena's older brother was a powerful jet of flame, scorching the man heavily. Sister Lena's screams of horror and sadness were heard as Matthis' now badly burnt body fell to the ground. We had to get him out of there quickly so that we could treat him…

"That is what happens when you go up against a manakete! Now, you all shall join him in the fires of Hell!"

"Don't bet on it, you fire-breathing lizard!" I heard Radd shout…

The myrmidon swiftly dodged the dragon's claw and landed several slashes onto the dragon. The properties of the wyrmslayer allowed him to cut right through the hard scales of the dragon, and this had him reeling in pain. One final thrust into what I figured was its chest was enough to ensure his destruction…

"Agh… impossible… being slain by these… fangless… worms?"

The dragon lied still after that, unmoving.

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

Well… we beat that blasted dragon and captured his stronghold…

But it came at a price. Matthis ended up taking a fire blast full force…

For the past three hours, Wrys and Lena have been working feverishly to heal his injuries. We've been checking up on him during that time to see if he was doing alright, and now it was my turn to see how he was doing…

Slowly I opened the door to where he was laying… but what I saw dampened my hopes for him.

Matthis, bandaged up from the 3rd degree burns he suffered, lay in his bed unmoving…

Wrys was looking down in silence. He looked like he was offering a prayer…

Lena… she was the worst off. Her eyes were red and I could see lines of tears marring her face. I could only guess how long she had been crying like this…

I feared the answer I would get from them, but… I needed to know.

"How… how is Matthis?" I asked.

This question only served to upset Sister Lena even more as her sobbing started up again and she ran right past me…

Wrys looked back up and answered my question…

"I'm sorry, Christopher… we did all we could, but… he's gone now."

What? No!

"You… you're sure? He's stronger than this! He can still…"

"No, Christopher… his journey has ended."

I couldn't believe this had happened. I felt several things as I processed all that had happened…

I felt sorrow for Matthis. While I never got to know him as well as I would've liked, I figured he wouldn't have wanted to stay a soldier when all was said and done… but now he would forever remain a soldier, even in death.

I felt anger at Doluna, for harboring manaketes that despised all of mankind. It was because of one of their dragons that a friend of ours had been slain. I had lost my family to one of them, and now I had lost who might've been a good friend in a different life…

But most of all… I felt guilt. I should've kept a better eye on Matthis… then he wouldn't be lying there lifeless. It was because of my negligence that he is dead now… and I loathed myself for it.

All of this pent up emotion soon made itself known in just a few words…

"Damn it all!"

Slamming my fist against a wall, I turned to head for my room. I couldn't handle seeing Matthis' corpse any longer. I couldn't handle seeing the life I failed to keep safe…

I spent the next half-hour in my room, still sulking over all that had happened. I barely registered the knock at my door…

"It's open."

The door opened to reveal grandpa…

"Christopher… what's the matter?"

"Grandpa…" I started, "I don't think I should be on the field anymore."

"What? What do you mean?"

"I caused Matthis' death, all because I acted too late to get him out of trouble…"

"Christopher, you-"

"No… it's true. If I can't keep anyone alive while I'm battling, then I am no good as a tactician. What kind of strategist would cause a friend to die out there?"

Grandpa just shook his head.

"Christopher… this is war. Casualties are a part of war, and it was only a matter of time before we ended up losing one of our own. Sacrifices sometimes must be made, after all."

"Grandpa, I know what you're trying to tell me, but I cannot agree with that at all. A commander who would willingly throw out several hundred soldiers with no regard for their safety is an outright imbecile. These soldiers are people who have their own dreams in life, and to send these people to their deaths would be crushing those dreams… and I can't live with that on my conscious."

I looked up at him now…

"I'd probably make a horrible knight because of these ideals, but these are the beliefs I stand by and I will not abandon them for anyone…"

To my surprise, grandpa made a small smile…

"You sound just like Prince Marth did when he was a boy…"

"Er… what are you saying?"

"Sire had those same beliefs when he was growing up. I'm sure he still stands by them too. Every time he played chess with me or his father, he would always lose because he wanted to conserve his pieces."

I couldn't help but snicker at this. I guess those ideals Marth has have rubbed off on me now…

"I even see how you play chess, grandson. You're always trying to play defensively…"

"Yes, I understand that, but these aren't game pieces we're maneuvering out on the field… these are people with their own goals in life. Every battle we participate in puts them at risk…"

Grandpa simply nodded…

"Sister Lena should be in her room if you wish to speak to her…"

"Alright then. Thanks…"

With a heavy heart, I departed from my quarters and went just a few doors down…

"Sister Lena? Are you in there?"

No response…

"It's me, Chris! I… I have to talk to you…"

"Enter…"

Well… it's time now.

I opened the door to see her sitting at her bed, her head in her hands, trying to keep from crying further…

"Sister Lena… I'm so sorry. It was because of my negligence that Matthis died… and I take full responsibility for it."

No reply…

"I… understand if you don't forgive me for what happened. I'm no good as a soldier or a strategist if I can't even defend my comrades…"

"No… you're wrong."

Huh?

I looked up to see Sister Lena staring back at me. Although she still wanted to cry, she fought valiantly to hold back her tears…

"It wasn't your fault that my brother had fallen… all he wanted was to prove himself useful…"

"Yeah, but-"

"I don't hate you for what happened. I… was always prepared to lose someone close to me… just not so soon."

I was left in silence…

She forgave me? But he died because of me! How can she let me off so easily?

"It is getting late. You should go and rest now…"

I didn't have anything left to say, so I left her room. Julian was about to go in there to talk to Sister Lena, but when he saw me, he decided to ask…

"Chris, how is Lena?"

"I think she's still broken up about it. You'll probably have better luck talking to her…"

"I understand… thank you."

A short funeral rite was made for Matthis that night as we offered up prayers for him. It was silent the whole way through as we lowered him into his grave…

As I watched his body go lower into the ground, I felt my hate for Doluna amplify even further…

Their dragons… they've robbed me of my family. They were NOT going to rob me of my friends as well. I will fight, so that no one else will fall under my command…

When it was all over, I finally went to my room to get some sleep… that would prove hard to come by for tonight.

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Catria POV)**

After our withdrawal at Lefcandith, the four of us had ended up separated to avoid alerting Medon of our desertion. Minerva had charged me to seek out Altea's Prince Marth, and word on the street was that he was last seen in Pyrathi Island…

Part of me wondered why he would go to such a place. That isle was said to be ruled by a manakete, and I didn't know anyone who could triumph against one…

I brushed that thought aside as Pyrathi Castle came into view…

I had to quickly raise a white flag to convince the archers stationed there not to fire on me. When I landed, the gate opened to reveal the prince himself. He was flanked by a swordsman who looked to be a bit younger than him and an elderly man in green robes…

Wow… the prince, he looked quite dashing…

Oh, right… Lady Minerva's request.

After fighting back what I figured was the blush on my face, I began to speak…

"Are you Prince Marth of Altea? I am Catria of Medon's Whitewing battalion. It's an honor to meet you…"

"The pleasure's mine, Catria… but how come you've flown all the way out here this morning?"

"The truth is, I've had to come here in secret to request your army's assistance."

"And why's that?" The swordsman next to the prince eyed me skeptically. I don't believe he trusted me…

"My liege, Princess Minerva, is planning to lead a revolt against the Doluna empire. However, as long as her younger sister, Maria, is still held hostage, she cannot fight back. Please, you must rescue her so that I, my liege, and my sisters can join your cause…"

The prince nodded…

"We'll do everything in our power to see to her rescue. Where is she being imprisoned?"

"She is at Deil Prison. There shouldn't be too many guards, but keep your wits about you."

The elderly man pulled out a map, looking for the prison. He marked it as just south and west of this island…

"Thank you so much, Prince Marth… I hope to see you again, and my sisters will hopefully be with me as well."

"Of course, Catria." The prince replied, then turned to the elder next to him, "Malledus, notify the army at once."

"As you command, sire." he said, then went back into the castle…

With nothing left to say, I got back on my mount and flew away. Hopefully Palla shouldn't be too far from where I was…

Prince Marth… I wish you and your friends the best of luck.

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

_Having decided to accept Catria's call for help, Prince Marth decided that we need to lead an assault on Deil Prison, where Lady Minerva's younger sister Maria was supposedly being held captive._

_I and many others weren't convinced about this request being genuine. This could easily end up being a trap set by her to destroy us all, but Marth continued to think otherwise, saying that Minerva struck him as a gentle female._

_If she was gentle, I didn't see it. She can pretty scary when in battle…_

_Well, regardless of our disagreement, we marched onward to Deil Prison, and the mission was simple for us to remember:_

_Princess Maria is being held captive by Doluna's forces._

_Are we a strong enough group to rescue the Princess?_

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Minerva POV)**

It was four days since I led the Whitewings out of Lefcandith, but I needed them to lay low until I could act against the empire. Before I ordered the separation, I asked for Catria to find Prince Marth and tell him my plan for rebellion.

Maria… don't worry. I'll free you from Doluna's hold…

Deil Prison came into view as I flew in. I needed to speak to Zharov, the commander stationed here.

I landed my mount and approached him, but when he saw me, he gave me a look of disapproval…

"Princess Minerva… how unexpected of you to show yourself here. It wasn't very smart of you to desert your post like you did. You would do well to remember that your sister's life depends upon your conduct, because right now… I doubt she'll have a future now."

I was steamed… but I couldn't afford to lose control now.

"I'm well aware of my sister's current condition, General Zharov, but I just want to see her again. She's only a child, and she's must be going through hard times-"

"… that will only get worse if you continue to go against orders. If your sister's well-being is that much of a concern to you, then speak no more and do as you're told." He cut me off…

I couldn't do anything now…

If I tried to fight against them now, then Maria will die…

But then, just as I was ready to give up, a soldier had come at us… and he looked frightened.

"Commander Zharov! We've got trouble! The rebel army has been sighted east of the prison!"

Zharov's look was that of shock when he heard this.

"What! How would those damned rebels know to come here?"

He then issued commands…

"Dragoons, engage the rebel forces! Someone else go and call for reinforcements from the main battalion! We cannot let them into the prison!"

Catria did it! Marth and his forces were here now! I have to go and find him!

I fell in with the Dragoon forces and flew east and south to try and follow them…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Marth POV)**

As we marched south to the entrance to the prison, the sound of screeching wyverns and neighing pegasi caught our attention.

"They know we're here! Archer's advance now!" Malledus called, and our bowmen came forth to strike them down. There was something off about the enemy's formation, however…

Why was one of them backing off?

Wait! That female dracoknight in red armor… that must be Princess Minerva! I must tell them…

"Everyone! Don't shoot the dracoknight behind them! I need to speak with her!"

Fortunately, they complied after filling the rest of their foes full of arrows. They lowered their bows as the woman landed…

"Greetings, Prince Marth," she began, "I am Minerva of Medon. I must thank you for coming to my aid…"

"Of course, princess. We're here to save your sister, and we won't stop until we do."

"Thank you… but we must hurry. General Zharov called for reinforcements just a few minutes ago. It'll only be a matter of time before they're upon us."

"Draug, Roger, have the ridersbane lances ready. Cain, you and Abel will form a line with them. Merric, you and the archers will provide support from the rear." I heard Malledus spout out more commands. I guess he heard us…

Minerva looked astounded as she heard what Malledus say…

"Your strategist is brilliant… maybe that will buy us time for us to storm the prison and free Maria."

"I would hope so…" I replied as we got to the gate of the prison…

"Alright, we're here." I said, then turned to Chris, "Are you coming with us?"

"Yes, and Julian and Rickard are also here in case this place has any goods."

"Alright, let's go!" I signaled, and we all charged inside…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

It's a good thing I had an armorslayer handy, as two armored knights were in our way. Fortunately, Minerva's axe and my sword were able to cleave right through them… literally.

"Hey guys! I see a couple of chests here!" I heard Rickard call to us…

"What'd you find?"

Julian then answered, "A Levin Sword and a Physic Staff."

"Alright then, I'll take the Levin Sword and you can give that staff to Wrys or Lena." I said. He handed me the sword and told Rickard to go deliver the staff to Lena.

Suddenly, two archers and a sniper then came around the corner. We quickly got behind a wall to avoid their shots as I took out the Levin Sword…

Alright, let's see what this thing can do… woah!

When I clutched the hilt, the blade began to crackle with electricity! It was a magic powered sword!

Well, here goes!

I pointed the sword at the archers, and three bolts of lightning shot from the tip of the blade and fatally electrocuted the foes. Their smoking corpses collapsed to the floor, and I took the Silver Bow the sniper was using. Maybe I'll give it to Gordin when we're done with this battle…

We then rounded the corner, to where Maria's cell was supposed to be. Unfortunately, there was a very dangerous looking swordfighter waiting for us. He looked to be taller than me, wearing armor and sporting a shield and an armorslayer. Good thing we didn't have any armored knights with us…

"Intruders! I won't let you leave this prison alive!" he bellowed as he drew his weapon. To conserve the Levin Sword's power, I put it away and drew my standard weapon.

"Julian! Hurry up and open that cell! We'll hold off this guy!"

"I'm on it!" he replied and darted for the cell…

Now it was just us and the hero.

"Time to die, you blasted rebels!"

He rushed at me first, hoping to lop my head off with a horizontal strike, but I managed to block it with the flat of my blade. Even then, it did stagger me back some, but Minerva came in with an axe strike. The hero blocked the strike with his shield, but Marth managed to thrust into his armor and stab his mid-section. This wasn't a fatal blow, so I quickly charged in and sliced at his legs, cutting them and forcing him onto his back, where Minerva finished him with a powerful cleaving from that axe of hers…

There was no way he'd be getting up after that.

I decided to search his body, and was successful in procuring a small emblem… a Master Seal. I decided to pocket this crest, and went to where Julian was…

"Whew, I got it open, finally!" Julian announced and the cell door opened. Marth went inside first to check…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Marth POV)**

Inside the cell, I looked around to see if anyone was inside… and sure enough, there was a young girl, probably 12 to 13 years old sitting on one of the benches…

"Um, pardon me, but… are you Maria?"

She looked up, surprised to see someone else here, but then upon seeing who it was, she smiled…

"You… you must be Prince Marth! Thank goodness you're here!"

Wait, did she just call me dashing under her breath? Bah, never mind…

"Sister would be so happy to see that you've freed me. So shall we be off now? I will be aiding you from now on…"

"Um, right, but are you really sure you want-"

"No protesting! I want to help!" She cut me off…

"Hey! What's the holdup in there?"

Oh, right… Chris and everyone else are waiting.

"Well, let's go see your sister now, Maria…" I beckoned her to follow, and she gladly did…

After we left the cell, Maria charged right for Minerva and gave her a fierce hug…

"Maria! Thank goodness you're okay!" The older sister exclaimed…

"Of course, sister! Now I can help you all out as one of Prince Marth's soldiers!"

Minerva let out a sigh…

"Oh, Maria… what am I going to do with you…"

"What do you mean?"

"Maria, you must listen… it's too dangerous for you to be out on the field with us. Real war is nothing like the fairy tales of princes and damsels you hear nearly every night…"

Chris cut in also, "Your sister's right, Lady Maria. She's gone through too much to free you from this jail. If you fall in battle, then what will Lady Minerva do?"

Maria grew indignant at what Minerva and Chris were saying. I would've added something myself, had Maria not made her reply known…

"No, sister! I want to stay with you now! I don't want to be a burden any longer…"

"Maria, we're just-" Chris started, but she cut him off…

"No protesting! If I'm not given a chance to be strong, then how can I ever be of any help?"

Gee, she was certainly persistent.

After that little outburst, Minerva just sighed and shook her head, but a small smile appeared on her face…

"Hah… you were always a strong-willed one, little sister. If you're serious about helping us, then I must stress that you be careful. If you need any help, don't hesitate to find me, alright?"

"Thank you, sister! I promise I'll do my best!" Maria said, then hugged her sister again…

I couldn't help but feel a little twinge in my heart as I saw this…

Elice, I hope you're still alright…

I was jarred from my thought as Julian called that he got the back exit open, so we all made our way outside. As we marched eastward, Malledus and the rest of our army were waiting for us.

"Malledus? Were you successful?"

"Yes, sire. All of the reinforcements were routed, and we suffered only minimal injuries. Wrys and Lena took care of our wounded while we made to catch up with you all."

"Excellent. Princesses Maria and Minerva will now be fighting by our side. At least we know now that not all of Medon has allied themselves to the empire."

"It was my brother, Michalis, that slew my father. He and his forces must be stopped…" Minerva quickly explained, "My three Whitewing soldiers: Palla, Catria, and Est, will surely join us now that I am in your ranks."

"So who's commanding the enemy forces here?" Chris asked.

"A man named Zharov. He's a general…" Minerva answered.

"Then let's hurry up and beat him before he calls for more help!" He said as he ran north.

Minerva gripped her axe and nodded.

"That will brook no argument from me…"

"Ogma, Merric, follow those two!" Malledus commanded.

The rest of us followed them north to where Zharov was waiting…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

With the Levin Sword in hand, I trudged up the stairs to challenge the general waiting for us. Minerva, Ogma, and Merric followed behind me…

Zharov quickly noticed Minerva in our little group, and he sneered…

"Well now, what am I to make of this? You're going to betray your kingdom and defect to these misguided rebels now?"

"It was you who betrayed Medon, Zharov! I'll make you suffer for sullying my kingdom's honor and for keeping my sister from me!"

Ogma added, "You've nowhere to run now. Prepare yourself…"

"Grr… must I do everything myself!"

"Your little reinforcement plan didn't work so well, you know. Let's see what you've got!" I challenged.

"You damned rebels aren't going to win!" he bellowed as he readied his lance.

He trudged at me first, attempting to stab me with the lance, but I quickly rolled out of the way and pointed the Levin Sword at him. A powerful lightning bolt zapped him, forcing him to his knees…

Ogma followed up with a slash on his shoulder, cutting through the pauldron and his left shoulder, and forcing him to drop his lance.

"Give it up! You can't win!" I taunted.

"Agh… I'm not through yet!" he shouted, and quickly drew his backup weapon, a silver sword.

Too bad he wasn't able to use it, as Merric used his Excalibur to shred through him and his armor… and he fell to the ground lifeless.

"You are now." I said simply.

I decided to search his corpse for anything useful, and what I came up with was some kind of pin…

This strange pin was in the shape of wings. Shrugging my shoulders, I decided to put it on my shirt…

Okay, this is weird… it feels like everything I'm doing is going just a bit faster now…

"That's all for the enemies here…" I noted as we took over the castle he was stationed in.

XXXXXXXXXX

Once again, the sun was setting, and we all had our rooms set up for the night. Now that our army was growing much larger, some of our men had to share rooms…

I was in my grandpa's room once more, and we were once again playing a game of chess…

"I guess Minerva WAS telling the truth…" I mused as I brought my knight up.

He sent up a pawn and nodded, "Indeed. At least she decided to join our cause… there's no doubt she'll be a useful ally…"

Alright, let's try this… one of my bishops attacks his rook.

"So how much longer until we reach the capital?"

Uh oh… his queen's on the move now. It took out one of my knights…

"Actually, we're drawing very close now. I'd say we should get there by sunrise…"

Alright, how about this? My rook takes out his queen!

"Really? Well that's great! Looks like it won't be too long before the kingdom is free…"

Huh, another pawn moved…

"True… we're making some very good progress…"

Okay, now! Bishop moves to where he attacks the king!

"I wonder what the place is like. I mean, I've always wanted to visit it when I was little… Check."

He moved his king out of the way…

"From what I've heard, it is a holy kingdom and quite majestic. The greatest of all the nations…"

Hm… let's try a pawn now…

"Yeah… but war has a way of destroying even mighty kingdoms."

"Well, that much is true…"

Let's see, he's… what? Oh, come on!

"Checkmate, heh." He chuckled.

Damn… I nearly had him too…

"Argh…"

"You're doing excellent, Christopher. Don't get discouraged… you're making great progress as a tactician…"

"I should hope so…" I noted, still somewhat guilty about Matthis' fate.

"It's getting late now… it's time to turn in for the night…"

"Got it… goodnight, grandpa."

I nodded and left his room to go back to my quarters. Cain and Abel were waiting for me.

"So, how'd you do against Sir Malledus, Chris?" Abel asked me…

I simply shook my head.

"He beat you again, huh?" Cain chuckled.

"Yeah… and I almost got him too…"

"Well, Malledus has been our late king's tactician long before Princess Elice was even born. He's obviously had some major experience…" Abel noted.

Wow… I knew he was good, but… that's a long time…

"Er… that's incredible. I can only hope I'll be as good as him eventually…"

"Don't feel too pressured, Chris. I'm sure if you give it time, you might surpass even him!" Cain encouraged.

"Hey Cain, can you imagine? If Chris ever got married and had children, they'd end up being powerful warriors that could also strategize, wouldn't you say? Ha ha!" Abel laughed.

Apparantly, Cain also found that funny. I felt my face go red at this…

"Oh come off it, guys! I'm not ready for that kind of thing yet!"

"Ha ha ha… we're only joking! Don't take things so seriously!" Cain's laughing settled down some…

"Whatever, I'm going to sleep now…" I said as I finished writing down everything I needed, then went to my bed. Cain and Abel soon followed suit and went to sleep…

As I closed my eyes, I briefly wondered… what would it be like to build off my grandfather's foundation of tactics? What would it be like to pass down both my skills of the sword and my grandfather's stratagem to any future children I might have?

Nah… only in my wildest of dreams would that happen…

I just shook my head as sleep claimed me. It was silly to consider those kind of possibilities…

Tomorrow morning, we would depart for Pales.

Soon, we will free the kingdom from Doluna's grip. We must rest now, for the battles that will follow are sure to be very difficult.

What kind of foes will we face? I can only imagine…

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER**

_Whew! What a chapter that was…_

_Sorry if you're a Matthis fan, but it IS a war after all. There's bound to be casualties for the side of good…_

_As always, I'll take whatever reviews or commentary you have to offer._

_Until next time, farewell._


	7. A Holy Kingdom's Liberation

_**DISCLAIMER: **__I still don't own Fire Emblem. That is still the property of Nintendo and Intelligent Systems._

_***REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_**MattyBoy91: **__Oh don't worry. Maybe now I can make these chapters a reasonable length. =P_

_***END REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_Now, let's get this chapter started!_

* * *

**CHAPTER 6**

**A Holy Kingdom's Liberation**

_It took several long, bloody battles, but we finally managed to catch sight of the royal capital of Akaneia, Pales._

_Occasionally known as The Millennium Court, this majestic palace was located just across some mountains. With Akaneia's defeat at the hands of the empire, there was sure to be some treasures or captives still inside. If we wanted to secure either of those things, our forces would have to hurry it up…_

_I would not realize this at the time… but this would be a major turning point on our quest to destroy Doluna. After this, the empire would surely realize that we mean business…_

XXXXXXXXXX

As we marched onward, Marth and I were currently in a discussion with Lady Nyna…

"Marth…" she began, "Have you ever heard of the great Pontifex Miloah?"

Marth nodded, "Of course. He was the one who defended Akaneia with the power of Aura, was he not?"

"That may be," I piped in, "But wasn't he was slain by that worm Gharnef when he tried to battle him…?"

"Alas, Miloah did indeed lose his life… but his daughter, Linde, should still be alive. I was also told that she had her late father's skill with his Aura magic, but none have seen her since Gharnef slew her father. I've heard some unsavory rumors though…"

"What kind of rumors?" Marth asked.

"There was word earlier that Knorda's slave-trafficking ring had acquired a new victim… and I fear that it may be her."

A slave ring? Unbelievable…

Why would a kingdom like this have something so barbaric like that?

"We must find her, Marth. We're the only family she has left now that her father is gone…" Nyna told us.

I had my map of this region out as she was saying this, and I decided to show them something…

"Lord Marth, Lady Nyna, come here a moment."

They both came closer to view the map.

"It looks like we'll be reaching Pales soon if we keep going at this rate. We're in luck, as the village of Knorda isn't too far from the palace also. If we stop at Knorda for a short while, maybe we'll chance upon Linde."

"Ah… Pales…" Nyna muttered painfully.

I stopped speaking when I saw her sorrowful expression. This wouldn't be easy for her, given the painful memories she must have of the place…

"I can still see it in my mind… all those innocent people slaughtered. The royal family… my family… they were publically executed before the palace gates as a warning to those thinking of revolting…"

Marth and I exchanged sympathetic glances with each other as Nyna continued…

"Countless times I have wanted to just cry or scream… but nothing would come out, and even now the sorrow and regret still plagues me…"

I wasn't going to lie. This was heart-rending for me to listen to as I sympathized with her…

I was grateful to whomever was up in the heavens that I still had my grandfather with me, and I found it regrettable that Lady Nyna was not so fortunate in that sense.

She shook her head, as if to drive away those hurtful memories.

"But what is done cannot be undone. All I can do now is pave the way for the future…"

She turned to us now…

"Marth, Christopher… I am ready now. Take me home… to Pales."

Our only response was a short nod. There was nothing either of us had to say at that point…

As our army marched north and east through the mountains, I heard Draug let out a scream of pain. This quickly caught our attention…

"Draug!" Jeigan called, "Are you alright? What hit you?"

Draug barely stood back up, and we saw what the source of his pain was. It was a huge bolt that had come from out of nowhere and nailed Draug in his right shoulder. Seems this bolt was strong enough to punch a hole through the armor plate…

Once we removed the bolt, Lena came over to heal the wound. Draug looked at his shoulder plate in disappointment…

"Well that's just great… now I need new armor…"

"Perhaps if we're lucky, we'll find some in the village just south of here…" Abel noted.

I turned to my grandfather…

"Where'd that bolt come from?"

Grandpa looked pensive here…

"They've got ballistae deployed. They'll be able to shoot us down at long distances!"

Marth came up to us next…

"Malledus, should we stop off at Knorda? We can re-arm there before we lead an attack on the capital…"

"That would probably be wise." Grandpa nodded "While we're there, we'll need to look for Linde anyways."

"Well, let's get moving. The longer we stand here, the more chances we give for their ballistae to kill us."

With new haste, we hurried onward to Knorda. Thankfully, the enemy's ballistae couldn't reach us where we were situated. Once we got to the village however, we noticed there were a lot of thugs roaming the area. Marth and I decided to take a look around first…

"Chris, be careful. Some of these people don't look too friendly." Marth told me as we went through the gates.

"Got it, Sire." I replied, "If there's a slave ring in this place as Nyna said, we should probably take it out…"

Wait… did that guy over there just hear us? Oh geez… and he's got a couple of friends too. Here they come…

"Well well… so you twats think you can come in here all fancy like, do you?"

Yep… this was definitely a bad part of town…

"Um… what do you mean?" I asked, feigning ignorance.

"Don't play stupid with us, urchin! You two were just talking about our slave ring! Now that you know about it, the only way you're both leaving this place is in a body bag!" the man shouted as they all drew their swords.

"I guess there's no sense in hiding it now…" Marth sighed. I drew my sword as Marth drew his rapier, and we faced the four ruffians.

"Let's dance." I growled.

Good thing these guys didn't have much in the way of sword-training, as I broke through their guard easily when I struck at two of the thugs. My sword ripped through a thug's mid-section, and thanks to that pin I had on (which I dubbed, "Speedwings"), I managed to turn and block the other ruffian's sneak attack. I gave him a kick to the chest to force him back, then followed it up with a thrust. The sword went right through his chest, killing him immediately.

Meanwhile, Marth was holding his own against the other two ruffians. Their slow, heavy swords were no match for Marth's agility, as he sliced at one of their throats while dodging a swing. The other one suffered several cuts after a few unsuccessful strikes before Marth finished him with a thrust through his heart. When all was said and done, only we were left standing.

"So where do we look now?" I asked the prince.

"Hm…"

As we looked around, we noticed a run-down shack just to the south where those thugs had come from. Maybe it was where the slave ring was operated…

We both nodded and went inside to investigate.

As we opened the door, a scrawny looking man took notice of us…

"Welcome, heh…" he said in a raspy voice, "You two looking for slaves? All we have right now are these weak little kids, but at least they come cheap!"

Wait… what?

That man did NOT just say he holds children here as well! This is beyond barbaric… this is completely inhumane!

Marth shared my outrage, "What! You hold children here too?"

"Yeah, I do. You got a problem with how I do business?" the slave owner sneered.

"Let them go now!"

"Hah! You really think I'm going to just do that? Who's gonna ma-"

Alright, that's it. I'm not taking any more of this…

I leaped over his desk and knocked him to the floor by crashing into him, then I pinned him to the corner and brought my dagger to his throat. Glaring at the man, I spoke in a tone that meant serious business…

"Listen you stupid piece of trash. We are from the Altean Army and we could come down on you at any given moment. If you want to hold on to your life, you'd better release your captives NOW."

When I mentioned those words, his eyes widened in shock and he went pale…

"Wh-What the hell! The Altean Army has come here? I gotta get outta here now!"

He shoved past me and jumped out a nearby window, not caring that he'd be cut up badly from all the shards of glass.

"Good riddance, that bastard…" I muttered, then I noticed something…

Huh… a key! It must be for the room in the back of this place.

Taking said key, I looked back to see Marth with his ear at the door in the back.

"Er, Sire? What are you doing?"

"Chris, there are voices back there. It must be the captives he's been holding…"

"Let's free them then! This key should open the door."

With the key in hand, the door was unlocked and we noticed that several children, even a few close to or at my age, looking at us. They didn't move, for fear we were going to do something awful to them. I didn't blame them though, as they did look to be in pretty bad shape. Marth set the record straight however…

"Be at peace, everyone. You've all gone through a lot, but that all ends now. You can all return to your homes now…"

It took a moment for them to register what he just said, but their faces soon brightened once they realized that we had saved them. All of them quickly took leave of this dismal hovel… except a boy who looked to be about my age.

"Um… aren't you going to go also?" I asked him.

"I have no home to return to now…"

Hold on… that voice sounds way too feminine to be a male.

"Wait a minute… you're a girl? But what are you doing in male garb?" I asked.

She removed the cloak, confirming that she was indeed a girl. A darned attractive one, I might add…

Gah, getting off topic here…

"I was attempting to hide." She started, "I am Linde, the daughter of Pontifex Miloah."

Huh, guess the rumors Lady Nyna told us were true.

The girl, Linde, continued, "I had to use men's garb to get away from Gharnef's wrath, but it wasn't long before slave traffickers captured me…"

Marth nodded, "It's good to see you safe, Linde. Princess Nyna has been worried about your whereabouts, but she can rest easy now. We'll keep you out of trouble, alright?"

But Linde shook her head, "No! I want to fight also… if Princess Nyna will permit it."

"Well, I'm sure Nyna will allow it, but… are you sure you want to?" Marth questioned cautiously.

"My father left me his Aura tome, and I have the power to use it! Please, let me fight by your side, so that I may destroy Gharnef and avenge my father."

She seems quite insistent. Marth decided to concede on this one…

"Very well, Linde. Just keep yourself out of trouble and don't hesitate to ask for help, alright?"

"I will, sire."

With that, the three of us took off from the shack.

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Marth POV)**

Nyna was grateful that we were able to find Linde, and so she granted her permission to fight in our ranks.

Now that the slave-trafficking ring was out of commission, it was safe for us to head for the armories and vendors to re-arm ourselves. Merric and Linde decided to buy some alternate tomes to conserve on the power of their respective spells, Excalibur and Aura. Meanwhile, Draug finally got some spare armor for the damage done to his current suit.

With our preparations complete, we marched north and west to Pales. It was time to brave the enemy ballistae…

"Sheeda… I want you to stay back. Their ballista will target you instantly if they catch you in their sights."

"I will, Marth. However… I'm sure one of them might be willing to help us."

"How do you figure?"

"An Akaneian lady named Anna told me that one of their names is Jake. If I can talk to him… he might join us."

I looked at her skeptically, but she seemed to insist…

"If you're absolutely sure about that, then try it, but Sheeda…?"

"Yes?"

I took in a deep breath…

"Please… be careful. I don't want to see you get hurt."

I think I might've made her blush for a short while, but she smiled…

"I will, Marth. Thank you for your concern."

As we marched eastward, the shots came again. Our troops scattered to avoid the shots, so we had to make haste to the capital.

Soon, the palace came into view, as did a ballista, a couple of armored knights and… no!

Another manakete was here!

I looked on as Chris trembled in anger upon seeing the manakete transform into a large, red dragon. He looked ready to tear the life out of him…

"Chris… don't push yourself. If you're having-"

"I get it, sire." he bluntly cut me off, then he went over to Radd to ask for the wyrmslayer.

Ogma and Merric were busy dealing with the two armored knights as I witnessed Sheeda fly towards the lone ballista in the area.

Huh, he stopped to listen… maybe it really is Jake?

Wait, he's shooting! The bolt's coming this way and it's… punching through one of enemy's armored knights.

Sheeda did it! She got him to our side!

I looked on as Merric used a Thunder spell to electrocute the other armored knight. The shock proved fatal as the knight fell over, dead to the world. When he looked up, I motioned for him to follow Chris, as it looked like he was heading right for the manakete…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

With the wyrmslayer in hand, I trudged toward the dragon, intent on slaying him where he stood.

I will not let my friends fall to this overgrown fire-breathing reptile…

"Hey! You there!" I raged against the dragon, "It's time to die, you Dolunian worm!"

He turned to face me and growled.

"Burn… you shall burn in my flames… until you're blood boils and your flesh is cooked!"

Although I was nearing a blind rage, even I found this a bit disturbing. I'm not sure he was in his right state of mind… assuming he even had one.

I brushed that thought aside. This dragon needs to go down before we can enter the palace.

The dragon slammed his claw into the ground, but I jumped away from his strike. I slashed hard against his claw as he struggled to bring it out of the ground, and he attempted to counter by releasing a torrent of flame that was WAY too close to my liking. Thank goodness I got out of the way…

Merric then sent a bolt of lightning at the dragon, zapping him hard. However, this only made him angry and he blew a huge cloud of fire at the mage, who barely rolled to the side… with singed robes. Good thing this gave me an opening though, as I just went wild and slashed madly at the dragon's body. I think I made about four good slices until another claw swipe sent me flying…

"Gah…"

"Chris! Are you alright?" I heard Marth call me.

"I'm fine… just a bit… ow… bruised."

I struggled to stand back up, and once I got to my feet I witnessed Merric finish off the dragon with a blast of his Excalibur magic. The razor winds of the spell slashed right into the beast as he fell forward in a heap.

"Lord… Medeus… I've failed…" were his last word.

"Whew… that was pretty crazy. (ow)" I winced. Maria, our newest healer, came over to mend my wounds. Now that everyone was patched up, we finally made our way to the gates of the palace.

"Well, the outer areas are clear, but I doubt that's all of them."

"Doluna still has a strong presence in the palace. I wouldn't put it past them to have hostages inside the castle…" Marth replied.

"They were loyal soldiers fighting for the kingdom and its citizens…" Nyna muttered, then turned to Marth and I, "We have to free them, and soon."

"If we're going to do that, we'd better get moving then. There's no telling when reinforcements will arrive." I told them.

With no further delay, we charged inside to stamp out Doluna's stragglers in the castle.

XXXXXXXXXX

_History textbooks state that the Holy Kingdom of Akaneia got its origins as a mere group of provinces. It was only thanks to the first king, Adrah's, valiant efforts that he was able to unite the different lands under one rule. The weapons he used were even said to be gifts from the heavens themselves…_

_In time, this kingdom would be known as a holy land, and the royal family of this realm would be esteemed in the same way._

_It was also thanks to Akaneia that six other kingdoms, our homeland included, also rose to power. However, try as some of them might, none could match the holy kingdom's prestige._

_And now… it was time for us to have a look around the palace of this historic kingdom. I would've loved to tour this place, but that would have to wait until we get rid of the empire's thugs here…_

XXXXXXXXX

**(Unknown POV)**

My comrades and I… we tried so hard to defend our kingdom. But Doluna was simply too powerful…

The few soldiers that survived the onslaught were here in this cell along with me. Even our esteemed bishop was imprisoned in here with us…

Suddenly, the sounds of weapons clashing and people's screams of pain filled the air. Was their fighting going on out there?

"Bishop Boah? Do you hear that?" I spoke up

"Huh, I can hear it too. Lots of shouting is going on outside…" I heard one of our armored knights, Macellan, mumble.

"It sounds like Princess Nyna successfully got here with an army in tow…" the bishop mused.

"An army? Then we're in luck! We'll be out of here in no time!" Tomas, our archer, suspected

"I wouldn't celebrate just yet. The enemy probably realizes that we're more of a burden alive than dead now, and they may decide to pick us off."

I shook my head at this…

"You misunderstand, Bishop Boah. If it means that Doluna's forces are expelled from our kingdom and our palace, then we should regret nothing from it."

Boah chuckled at this, "Oh, Midia… You've always had a strong spirit, child, and I've always admired that. Still, think of Astram… what would he do if you were to perish here?"

Astram… my love…

I looked down sadly when Boah mentioned him. He's probably still being forced to fight for the empire because I'm trapped here…

"I… I only wished to see him one more time… before I fall. That is my only regret."

Boah managed a small smile, "But you live still, Midia. Don't lose faith just yet."

The sound of bowstrings being plucked filled our ears after that. The enemy was firing on us!

"Blast it! They've decided to do away with us now!" our other armored knight, Dolph, cried out.

"Everyone, start moving about! We must stay alive!" I commanded. It was all we could do to stay standing…

Arrows soon filled our room, and Macellan and Dolph were busy trying to use their armor to deflect the shots. Still, some were able to nail us as we attempted to scramble about to avoid the arrows raining down upon us…

Was there anyone who could help?

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV, 17 minutes ago)**

As we looked up the stairs, our mounts had to stay outside so that we could storm the palace to drive out the invaders. In the meantime, while grandpa was in the middle of devising an attack plan, I decided to meet with Jake, our newest ballistician…

"So you're Jake, right? The ballista operator?"

"Heh, yeah. That'd be me, buddy." He nodded, "And you're Chris, aren't you?"

"Er… how'd you guess?"

"Your prince, Marth, told me as such. I'm fighting with you from now on, because that's what Anna would want of me."

"Anna?"

"My, er… special person, if you know what I mean." He blushed.

"Heh, I get it… well then, it's good to have you around. Although… I'm afraid you probably can't come with us for this one. I don't think your machine would have enough room in a palace…"

"Yeah… but how about another time then?"

"We'll just have to see about that." I shrugged, "Guess I'll see you later when this fight's over."

"Alright, kid. Good luck in there!"

I nodded and went back to the prince. It seems the army was ready to strike…

"Sorry for the wait, sire. Just having a little chat with Jake…"

"No apology needed, Chris." he replied, "We've got to hurry if there are any hostages around…"

"Let's advance at once, sire." Jeigan called out to us.

We promptly made our way inside as Navarre rushed at a couple of thieves hoping to loot the treasures here. With his quick speed, he carved them up in no time, and was rewarded for it with an armorslayer and warp staff. Lena took the staff while Caesar got the sword.

Good thing we got that armorslayer, because a couple of armored foes decided to block our path. Caesar and Ogma both made short work of them with said blade as they sliced right through their armor to land lethal blows. They never stood back up after a couple of cuts to their chest.

Our forces continued to scour the palace halls, looking for any dungeon cells in the area. To our south was a treasury that looked to be untouched, so I motioned for Rickard to secure any goods this palace still held.

Wait… I could hear metal clanking in that room. There might be an enemy in there…

"Rickard, be careful. That metal clanking in there could be an armored foe. Just to be on the safe side, Caesar and Merric will go with you."

"Got it. Thanks Chris!" he nodded.

As Rickard opened the door, my suspicions were proven correct. As it turned out, a general was patrolling the room. Caesar quickly rushed at the armored foe and sliced into his chest twice, slicing right through the metal plates and forcing him back. Merric then sent out a bolt of lightning from his spell-book, fatally shocking the foe. The general slumped to the floor, dead as a doornail.

"The way is clear, Rickard. Take the goods to the convoy outside."

He nodded eagerly and rushed inside to see what goods were to be had, while I continued on south down the hall…

Wait, is that…

My eyes narrowed in anger once more. It was yet another manakete…

I wasn't going to hold back this time. I'll slay him… with my own blade.

He caught sight of me and transformed into a large red dragon. Navarre and Radd followed me also as two mages came from around the corner.

"Navarre, Radd. Take those two mages… the dragon is mine."

Now… it was just me and the dragon. I drew my wyrmslayer and rushed in to strike, slicing into his scaly body three times. He roared in agony and flailed about, slamming his tail into me and sending me careening into a wall, forcing me to drop my weapon in the process. I wasn't going to lie, that smarted something fierce…

The dragon calmed down after a while, but I couldn't get up in time before he faced me. I was cornered and there was nowhere I could run…

"I will enjoy this immensely, wretched little human…" the dragon snarled, then began to breathe in…

So this was how it ends? I was going to meet the same fate as Matthis? My own journey of bringing justice upon my family's killer… it was all about to go up in flames, like I was.

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Linde POV, 6 minutes ago)**

I followed Marth, a thief named Julian, and one of his knights, Draug I think, north to where the prison cells were. The prisoners were surely being held captive in this room.

There were three archers surrounding the walls, and they had their bows drawn, ready to fire over the wall. We acted quickly as Draug tossed a javelin at one of the archers, Marth fatally stabbed the second one, and I blasted the third one with Aura. There were none left standing after that, so Julian quickly picked the lock on the cell, and opened the door.

Five people emerged from the cell once the door opened. I immediately recognized their faces…

"Bishop Boah? Are you all okay?" I asked them all.

"Linde? You're alive! After Gharnef slew Lord Miloah, I feared you met the same fate…"

"Well, Knorda's slave traffickers ended up catching me, but Prince Marth and another person saved me from them. I'm now fighting under their command…"

"In any case, it's wonderful to see you again, Linde." Midia told me, then she turned to the prince.

"Thank you for saving us, Prince Marth. We'll join your cause and assist in whatever way possible."

"Good to have you with us." He replied, then noted their injuries from the archers we just killed, "Wrys and Lena are our healers, so go find them and they'll patch you up."

"Understood, and thank you again, sire." she smiled and went around the corner along with the other four prisoners.

"Now that the hostages are free and the treasures are secured, let's keep routing the foes from here."

"As you command, sire." I nodded, and I hurried ahead of him due south. However, a roar from the next chamber alerted me, so I had to move faster.

When I got to the room, I was shocked to see that a transformed manakete had occupied the area! The soldier that was with the prince was also in there with him, and he was currently cornered as the dragon drew breath. Because there was nowhere left for him to run, the dragon would end up scorching him into oblivion!

I had to act quickly…

With the Aura tome in hand, I chanted the words and the blast of light slammed into the dragon. He thrashed about as the boy got away confused as to where that attack came from…

This spell wasn't going to hold that dragon for long, so I had to call to the boy…

"Hurry! Finish him now!"

The boy realized I was trying to help him, and he looked down to see his sword, a wyrmslayer actually, at his feet. Picking it up, he leaped forward and thrusted the blade all the way to the hilt into the dragon's body. The dragon let out a deafening roar of pain and fell to the floor, limp and lifeless.

"Hah… it's over…" he gasped out.

"Chris! Are you well?" Marth asked the boy.

"Yeah… but it's a little hard to move…" he said as he slumped a little.

The indention in one of the walls told me that he was slammed into that wall by the dragon… that must've stung.

"We can't waste any time here, sire. The enemy is almost cleared out." I reminded the two.

"She's right. Let's keep moving…" Marth noted, and we continued onward.

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Marth POV)**

The next room we all came across was the throne room. A hero stood in our way and attempted to come at me, but Chris and his Levin Sword took the foe by surprise and shocked him. This allowed for me to finish him quickly with a thrust to his chest. He failed to get back up after that…

All we had to deal with now was the sage standing at the throne. He looked down on us and bellowed out…

"You foolish rebels… you who have the gall to defy Doluna! You shall writhe in the flames of my Bolganone magic!"

He raised his hands as cracks beneath us began to open up. We had to move fast to avoid the spiraling pillars of flame that emerged from said cracks. Chris attempted to attack with his Levin Sword, but the sage didn't even flinch as the bolts of lightning struck him…

"What! Damn… the sword's magic failed to work!"

"Then let's see if Aura's power will have an effect!" I heard Linde shout out.

With her hands raised, a huge blast of light magic rushed forth and slammed into the sage, this time knocking him to the floor. He attempted to stand up again, but this time I rushed in and stabbed him with my rapier. The blade pierced through his side and out his back, causing him to double over when I removed it. Linde finished him off with a shot of an Elfire spell, as the pillar of flame consumed the sage.

As he collapse to the floor, still getting thoroughly scorched by the fire, he spoke out his final words…

"You haven't won yet… Doluna shall last… forever…"

That was all he said as the flames eventually consumed him. All that was left was his Bolganone tome, which Merric would take after he caught up with us.

"At last… Akaneia is freed." I muttered. It was a long, trying task… but we did it.

XXXXXXXXXX

Evening soon came as the castle was purged of Doluna's presence. With her loyal subjects, Princess Nyna came to the throne room to see me.

"Prince Marth… thank you. Had it not been for your efforts, I never would've seen my home again…"

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Chris and a few of my soldiers give her a funny look. I had a pretty good idea what was going through their heads, so I responded as such…

"Of course, but it wouldn't have been possible without the assistance of our friends in the Akaneian League. They fought long and hard to ensure your kingdom's liberation."

Nyna responded, "That is true… but even then, there's no doubt in my mind that your exploits will have the most prominent coverage in the pages of history."

The princess then signaled the paladin, Midia, over to her. In her hands was a very ornate-looking bow…

"Now… allow me to present to you a gift for your forces' achievements. This bow is known as the Parthia, and it is one of the three regalia passed down through House Akaneia and my royal family. Unfortunately, the other two weapons – the sword Mercurius and the lance Gradivus – seem to have been taken by the enemy. If only I could've given you all three so that your future battles would be made easier… "

I just shook my head…

"Your concern is more than enough, Nyna. But don't fear… one day, I will recover your family's treasures and then use them to destroy Doluna. I make this vow on this emblem of fire!" I spoke resolutely.

Since Jeorge had much more experience handling a bow, he accepted the Parthia for the time being. We cleared the throne room to return to our temporary quarters…

I needed to confer with Malledus now. I believed it was time to return home… to take back our kingdom from the empire's hold…

It took a while to find Malledus' room, but I finally did after about a half hour. He was once again in the middle of a chess game with Chris, and as usual the game was in the former's favor.

"Malledus… we need to talk."

"Sire?"

"I believe the time is right now… we need to think about how to liberate our homeland."

Malledus looked pensive at this. Chris decided to ask him…

"Grandpa… do you think we're ready?"

After a minute of silence, he spoke up.

"If you're absolutely certain that we have a chance, Prince Marth, then we'll plot a course of attack first thing in the morning."

"Are you serious, grandpa?"

"Quite."

Now I piped in, "I understand. We need to be ready to face Doluna, as they will likely be a very strong foe to face there…"

"Then rest up, sire. Once we have a good route planned, then we will depart for Altea…"

I nodded and left them to their chess game. As I shut the door, I thought I could hear Malledus utter the word "Checkmate". I couldn't help but snicker at that…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

Cain wasn't kidding when he said grandpa had loads of experience in the ways of war. I never had a chance against him…

Grandpa thinks it was because I was distracted, but how could that be? What was distracting me from trying to formulate a plan of attack in that chess game?

I shook my head as I went to a balcony to get some fresh air…

Marth's sudden arrival prompted me to think of what to do now…

Now it was time to take back Altea, our home…

My family's murderer, a mage dragon, is said to be there… but am I really ready to face him? I've found out the hard way that I can't really hold my own against a manakete, but I want to face this dragon alone…

There was no other option… he had to be brought down. Who knows what sort of cruel acts he may consider doing to the people of Altea?

I decided not to think any more on it until we were actually there, so I turned to get up when…

"Excuse me… are you Chris?" I heard a voice from behind, so I turned to see who it was.

Huh… Linde was here too?

"Er, yes… I am Chris." I nodded, "Do you need something, Linde?"

"I… I never got to thank you or Prince Marth for saving me from those slave owners. I owe you my life…" She hesitantly told me.

"Oh, that?" I asked, then shook my head, "It was nothing, we were just doing the right thing, that's all…"

"Yes, but-"

I cut her off, "Besides, I should be the one thanking you…"

"Me? But what for?"

"If you hadn't intervened, I would've met a fiery end because of that dragon… so I guess in the end that would make us even… heh."

Linde thought about it, then made a short laugh, "Haha… you're right, I never thought of it that way."

An awkward silence followed after that… before she spoke again…

"Chris? I must know something."

"What about?"

"Are you really one of Prince Marth's soldiers? You don't appear to be in any formal armor or uniform…"

"Well… not officially…"

"How do you mean?"

"You might want to sit tight. This will take a while to explain…"

The next few minutes were spent with me telling this female mage that I was a refugee from my destroyed village traveling with both the prince and my grandfather Malledus on their mission. Then I explained why I was fighting in their ranks… to train for the day that I face a mage dragon that robbed me of my family.

When it was all said and done, she was surprised…

"Chris… I'm so sorry. I don't know what to tell you…"

"Don't fret over it, Linde. It's just as Lady Nyna said… I can't undo the past, but I can pave my own way for the future. Still, I hope that slaying that beast will give me some form of closure…"

"I understand what you mean…" she nodded, "It was Gharnef that killed my father… and now I want to make him pay."

Gharnef…

I would be lying if I said I knew a lot about this bastard. All I know is that he's currently presiding over Khadein, the city of magic located in the desert, and that he has allied himself with Medeus to achieve his desire of world conquest.

"And what about you, Chris?" she asked me, "Who is this mage dragon that you're talking about?"

"My last letter from my parents says that it's a manakete who is completely impervious to magic. The only way I might feasibly have a chance is if I have a wyrmslayer to battle him…"

I turned away from her…

"He's supposedly in Altea right now… and if his hatred of humanity is to be believed, the people there are surely suffering endlessly. I want to kill him… so that no one else will go through the same pain that I have, but I don't know if I'm up to the task. It was thanks to you that I managed to survive that last fight with a dragon… but that intervention won't help me against this foe."

I nearly jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned to see Linde…

"Linde…?"

Gah… I really hope no one's watching.

"Chris… you can't start doubting yourself now, not when you're so close to achieving your objective. I believe you have a chance… and I want you to believe that you do as well."

Uhm… wow. I wasn't really expecting this… but she is right.

I've come too far to quit now. I just need to keep training for that day…

"Um, gosh… thanks for your encouragement, Linde."

She smiled, "Think nothing of it. It's what friends do…"

The starry skies outside signified that it was time to turn in, so we both went back inside the palace.

"Well Linde, it was good to get to know you… and, um… one other thing."

"Yes?"

"Let us work together… for our own objectives, and for the less fortunate in this war."

"Sounds like a deal to me." she nodded, "I will see you in the morning, Chris…"

"Yeah, you too." I replied, then went to my quarters…

I wrote down all that happened in this skirmish, taking note to meet up with the hostages we rescued sometime later on. Once I finished, I blew out my candle and went to sleep for the night…

Tomorrow, we would depart for our destination… Altea.

It's been two years since the kingdom fell to Doluna's power. Now the time had come for us to take it back from those worms…

It would also be the place where my own personal mission was waiting for me there…

Time would only tell if I was ready to do both of those things.

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER**

_The chapter is now complete._

_Once again, if you have any reviews or commentary, then I'll be listening._

_Until next time, farewell._


	8. Ballista Barricades and Sorrowful Realm

_**DISCLAIMER: **__Blah blah blah… I don't own Fire Emblem… blah blah blah… belongs to Nintendo and IS. Blah blah blah… The OC is mine._

_**NOTE: **__Bear with me on the way ballistae are portrayed here. Most of the weapons will be long-ranged like usual, but there are some that will actually be shown as close-ranged. One other thing: their appearance will be shown just as they are in the first Fire Emblem game._

_Okay! Now how about another chapter?_

_

* * *

_

**CHAPTER 7**

**Ballista Barricades and a Sorrowful Realm**

_With Akaneia liberated, it was now time to concentrate on our next objective… and it was one that my friends and I were anxiously waiting for._

_The mission? Return to Altea and drive away Doluna's forces._

_After two days of planning, my grandfather Malledus constructed a good route to get to Altea in the shortest time possible, so after re-arming our forces in Knorda, we departed the kingdom and traveled north and west. This path would take us through the traitorous nation of Gra…_

_Of course, I should've guessed that our route would be guarded along the way…_

_After six days of travel, Grust had caught wind of our exploits and now they had stationed a formidable battalion, the "Wooden Cavalry", to stand in our way. With several ballistae barring our destination, this was going to get pretty hairy…_

XXXXXXXXXX

The road to our homeland was going to be a long one, so during that time, I had met with the newest members of our ever-growing forces…

I would've tried to get to know Maria a little better, but she didn't have much else to say. She didn't seem to hold any ill will towards her brother, even though it was because of him that she was taken captive. Personally, I couldn't imagine why she'd feel that way…

As for Minerva, well… she's got a pretty cold exterior, and thus wouldn't say much to me. Of course, that was assuming I could bypass her wyvern… whom I don't think likes me very much.

Midia struck me as an extremely dedicated paladin to her nation, even to the point of dying for it. I probably wouldn't be truthful if I said I had that kind of loyalty…

I mean, sure I considered Prince Marth a close friend, but if heavens forbid that our cause would shift to an unjust cause… I probably would end my service then and there. I may want to be a knight, but I want to fight for what's right… not just for king and country.

Boah was Akaneia's royal bishop, and an adept at magic. He seemed to have a deep desire to see his homeland restored to its former glory, but we still had a war to win before he could think about that…

Dolph and Macellan both surprised me. When I spoke to them, I initially thought they were brothers! They both laughed that off, saying that they seem to get that a lot. It was only because Macellan wore light purple armor and Dolph wore green armor that anyone was able to tell them apart…

In any case, per Ogma's suggestion, I decided to try learning how to swing an axe. Supposedly, it wasn't that much different from using a sword, it just required more strength to swing…

Of course, many others wanted to learn new things… Barst wanted to learn archery, Castor wanted to ride a horse and use a sword, Draug wanted to wield an axe also…

I'd go on, but that would take a while to cover what new weapons everyone wanted to learn…

Anyways… it wasn't long before we set foot on Gra's shoreline, and Fort Menedy came into view. Unfortunately, the way was packed with enemy shooters lined up as a makeshift barricade. They could easily pick us off before we can even approach them.

"That's a LOT of ballistae…" I mused as I put away my spyglass. Lady Nyna approach from behind as I said this…

"It's Grust's artillery, isn't it…" she stated.

Marth nodded, "They may be numerous, but they stand between us and Altea. We must take the fight to them…"

Nyna looked at the prince warily, "That hunger for danger is quite worrisome. Humanity's hopes rest on your shoulders… and I would rather they not be crushed."

"I think I see what he's getting at, Lady Nyna." I piped in, "Sure, these guys can pick us off from a great distance, but the trick is to close in on them and eliminate the operator, thus rendering the machine useless."

"Precisely!" Marth said, then turned to everyone else, "Knights! Let us close in on the enemy! Move out now!"

With no further delay, we charged forward, hoping to destroy our foes before they could target us…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Marth POV)**

I had to admit, the strategy I recommended was a bit of a gamble. Even if we do get close, only powerful weapons might have a shot against damaging their machines. Of course, magic would also work wonders…

A nearby village was in the area, but I had to traverse some rough terrain to reach it. Once I did, I noticed most of the villagers were already boarded up in their homes, save for a young woman nearby.

"Excuse me… there's a battle going on outside. I suggest you retreat to your home now…"

"Ah, thanks for the warning, sire…" she replied, but before she hurried off, she said one other thing…

"You should know something… we would've wanted to battle alongside Akaneia. Even some of Grust's military would've joined your cause…"

Grust would've fought by our side? How can that be? I asked as such…

"If that's the case, then why is Grust our opponent then?"

The lady looked down, "It was their top general, Camus… his squadron of knights took us by storm, and we've been under Grust's occupation since then."

"I see… well, my men and I will do everything in our power to lend a hand."

"In that case, I'm coming with you, Prince Marth." Another voice sounded off from behind…

Who was that?

Turning around, I witnessed a man riding a ballista ride up to me. His machine had an attachment that looked like some kind of metal orb connected to a pole, and it crackled with sparks of electricity…

"Who are you?"

"Name's Beck, sire. After failing to defend Deil prison, I was forced to hide in this village. If you're here though, then that means your forces have also come, right?"

"Er… yes." I nodded, "So you're going to fight with us then?"

"Of course!" he grinned, "This Thunderbolt cannon will come in handy for those enemy ballistae!"

So that's what that weapon was…

"Alright then! Let's move out quickly!"

When I returned to the battle, I noticed that an enemy ballista was approaching. His attachment seemed to have some kind of flame hanging over a thin metal pipe. I quickly jumped aside to avoid the jet of flame that the ballista shot out…

"Clear the way, sire!" Beck called out.

I immediately got out of the way as the ballistician charged up his weapon. After a few seconds, bolts of electricity shot forth and destroyed the flame-shooting machine, taking the operator with it.

That was some impressive firepower. I think I'll need to study on it a bit more later…

Another ballista was approaching, and it had the standard Arrowspate attachment on it. I hurried over to it and quickly thrusted my rapier into the operator of the machine. He looked like he was aiming for Sheeda and I wasn't going to let him go through with that.

As my friends and I pushed onward, I noticed that Midia was riding closer to a green-armored hero. He must've known who she was, as he lowered his sword and his eyes grew bright at seeing her…

I'll bet something was going on between them…

I paid it no mind however, as we still had a battle to win. Chris and Ogma were busy slicing into the operators of a couple of ballistae, while Merric and Linde were using Excalibur and Aura to destroy several of the enemy's machines…

All we had left now was one last ballista, and this one had a massive cannon attachment…

"Gr… you fools may be strong, But don't think you've won yet! I'll crush you all myself with this Pachyderm cannon!"

The commander pulled the trigger and a massive cannonball was shot from his machine. The projectile was travelling so fast that it could burst right through even the strongest armor! Fortunately, everyone was quick to step out of its line of fire, and Beck hurried onto the scene…

"Pretty impressive firepower there, but let's see it stand up to a Thunderbolt!"

The commander wasn't fast enough to load another shot into his machine before a bolt of electricity shot from Beck's ballista. The damage was substantial and the enemy ballista exploded, sending the operator flying backwards. He suffered severe injuries from the explosion, so he didn't have much time left…

"Nngh… unbelievable… to be able destroy our ballistae… But… don't get a swelled head… Altean whelp…"

"That's pretty big talk for someone about to die." Chris quipped back, but the commander continued speaking.

"General Camus… his Sable Order will be upon you all… and you will die… by the lance of… the greatest warrior… to ever live."

He coughed up blood one last time before his head flopped to one side…

"Hah… thank goodness that's over and done with." I heard Merric mutter.

I agreed with him on that…

One thing still plagued my mind, however…

Have I been wrong to hate all of Gra and Grust for robbing me of both my father and my kingdom? If what that lady said was true, then…

"Is something bothering you, Marth?"

I looked up and noticed Nyna and Chris was approaching, so I responded, "Well… during the battle, a commoner told me that not all of Grust wanted to fight against us… that some of them would've fought under Akaneia's banner."

"So not all of Grust is our enemy then?" Chris questioned me.

"Yes, but… ever since my father and kingdom were taken from me, I've held nothing but hatred for Gra and Grust… and I never once thought about what they might've been thinking."

"Has your hate for them diminished then?" Nyna asked next.

I shook my head… it wasn't that simple. It never would be…

"No… my hatred of them hasn't changed. The pain and suffering they've wrought upon me… it will stay with me for as long as I live. But now… at least I now know that not all of Gra and Grust is my enemy."

Nyna thought about what I said…

"I don't believe all evils are wrought of malicious intentions…"

"What are you saying, Lady Nyna?" Chris questioned.

"It might be naïve to believe this, but… I think that a true leader ought to look at his opponent and see more than only an enemy." Nyna noted with finality.

I had nothing to say to that… but her words did leave me something to think about.

Even then, however, it was hard NOT to see my opponent as my enemy… especially considering all that they've taken from me…

With Fort Menedy now free of occupation, we decided to rest and re-arm here for a while before we march on into the mainland of Gra.

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

It was around 2 o'clock when we finally set up base here at Fort Menedy. While we were there, I decided to go train outside with an axe. Barst was coming with me as he had the most experience in our group wielding this weapon…

On the way out, however, I noticed the green-armored hero, I think Midia called him Astram, speaking with Marth… and he had a threatening look about him that meant serious business…

He'd better not try something against him… I'll make him pay if he does.

Of course, that's if I could. Who knows how long he's had training with his sword…

Brushing those thoughts from my mind, I refocused on what Barst was telling me.

"Okay, Chris. Considering that you aren't quite as built as Captain Ogma or me and my friends, I would suggest you start with smaller axes. Once you start building muscle, then you can start using larger axes like I'm using."

"Alright, so where do we start?"

The supply wagon was nearby, so he went there for a few minutes and came back with a small iron axe.

"Try swinging that around for a while. See whether or not it's heavy."

"Er… alright."

With the axe in hand, I went up to a nearby training dummy and…

Yow! This was really hard to swing one handed! I nearly thought I was going to lose my grip and send it flying a couple of times!

I stopped swinging just in time to see a grin from Barst.

"It's hard, isn't it? Try it with both hands this time."

Doing as he said, I gripped the axe and swung…

Well, this was a little easier, I'll admit. Still a little heavy though…

"So, uh… how did I do?"

"Well, your swing could use a little work, but the only axe light enough for you would probably be a hand axe. On that, you'll need a lot of them, as they can also act as a throwing weapon…"

Huh… a hand axe. I guess it wouldn't hurt to try…

Taking a hand axe from the supply wagon, I gave it a test swing and…

Well, well… it was light enough to swing one-handed without worry!

"Alright, so you can swing the weapon. Now try throwing it." Barst commanded.

Backing away from the training dummy, I raised the axe and hurled it towards the target.

Well, it hit the target, but it didn't seem to do that much damage…

"Hm… well, your accuracy is decent, but you need to put a little more force behind your throw. Keep at it until you think you have it down."

I nodded and spent the next couple of hours training with the hand axe, specifically the throwing part…

"Geez… this is harder than they make it look." I mumbled as I witnessed another axe miss its target…

XXXXXXXXXX

After several hours, I decided to finish up my training for the day, as my arms were burning from exhaustion…

I went back into the fort as the sun went down. Grandpa was there to meet me as I went inside…

"So, Christopher… you've decided to train in other weapons now, have you?"

"I have, Grandpa." I replied, "I think it'd be smart to have a different weapon for what could end up being a difficult situation. In my case, I'm using an axe so lance fighters don't catch me by surprise…"

"Well spoken." He nodded, "Before we leave in the morning, you'll need to outfit yourself with some light armor and get yourself a shield as well."

Armor and a shield? I guess that means I'll be a hero then… heh.

"Of course… but until then, I need to rest now." I told him, and so I returned to my room, hoping that my arms won't be so sore from all that training when I wake again…

XXXXXXXXXX

_Since its foundation, the kingdom of Gra was a trusted neighbor and ally of Altea._

_One couldn't even imagine the shock that ran through our faces when we learned that their king had turned his coat and sided with Doluna._

_My mom and dad were barely able to survive their sudden ambush (if you don't count the fact that they were soon killed by one of Doluna's dragons), but King Cornelius and Altea's forces were not so lucky. Because of their surprise attack from the rear, all of them were slain in battle and the divine sword, Falchion, was lost…_

_It's been a little over 2 years since that tragic day, and much had changed during that period of time… but now it was our turn to strike back._

_As we descended upon Gra's stronghold, there was just one thing on most of our minds:_

_It was time to make Jiol, the traitorous ruler of Gra, pay for murdering our late king._

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Jiol POV)**

I sat around in my throne, receiving news about the state of Doluna's forces. How could it be that those blasted rebels were causing trouble around the continent? Such futility…

That fool Cornelius… did he not realize the power of Doluna? It didn't matter if he had that stupid sword… no one can beat Gharnef or Medeus if they're allied.

And now that foolish son of his wants to challenge them as well? He's out of his league…

Suddenly, one of my soldiers rushed into the throne room, and he looked to be in a state of panic…

"Y-Your majesty! It's the Akaneian League! They're coming upon us now!"

What? What nonsense is this!

"You dare call that blasted rabble a league? That pathetic prince leads only a pack of rebels!"

"Er… beggin' your pardon, my liege. It's just that they're now being known as a league now, and…"

"Oh just shut up, you imbecile!" I cut him off.

Argh… how can this be? That whelp of a prince has led them all the way here, and with the Fire Emblem no less!

I turned back to the soldier, "Reinforcements! Did you request the empire like I asked?"

"Ah… yes, sire. A fleet of pegasus knights should arrive from Medon shortly…"

You… you can't be serious. After my role in destroying Altea, this is the best protection I could get?

"Pegasus Knights? Damn it, those winged ponies aren't going to be enough to stop those blasted rebels! What about my request for Camus' Sable Order or Michalis' Dragoons?"

"A-Ah… they laughed that off and told us that we've served our purpose and that there's no more use for us…"

WHAT! So this is how they treat me? They would betray me just as I did Cornelius?

"Agh… but betraying Altea was Gharnef's idea…! Why isn't he here to face that brat!"

The screams of my soldiers then greeted my ears…

"Gr… damn it, what are you standing around for! Go do something to stop them! I don't want to die here!"

"At once, sire…" the soldier nodded, and he departed.

Those damned Altean vermin… I should've killed every last one of them while I still had the chance.

Well, no time like the present… I'll make them pay for making a fool of me and my forces with that stupid decoy they threw at me.

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV, 30 minutes ago)**

It wasn't long before we managed to get to Gra's stronghold. With my spyglass out, I scanned the area up ahead…

"See anything, Christopher?" Commander Jeigan asked me…

"Just a few armored knights to the south… some archers stationed in the fortress' upper level… an open village to the west… yeah, that's about it."

"Alright, then what do you propose we do?" Marth asked grandpa.

"Well, first we need to lower the drawbridge. Once we have access, we'll rush in and eliminate the armored foes first. Julian and Rickard will scour the place for treasure if there's any to be had here."

"I'll go to the village and warn the locals. I think I can take on the archers if they give me any trouble." I told them.

"Alright then, Christopher, but hurry back to us quickly when you're finished." Grandpa replied.

"Hey guys! I got the bridge lowered!" Rickard called to us.

"Okay, you've all received your orders, now let's move!" Commander Jeigan called out, and so we hurried off…

While I went west, everyone else marched southward. As expected, there were three archers ready to open fire as soon as I came into view, so I had my shield up to block the arrows. To fight back, I used a couple of hand axes to split open one of their heads, and then my Levin Sword to shock the other two into submission. None of them had a chance against those attacks…

Now that the way was clear, I trudged into the village…

Huh? That's strange… all the doors were locked tight…

Did someone beat me to this place already?

"You there…"

I jumped when I heard that voice, then turned around to see who it was…

It was a man, probably mid to late 20's, riding a black steed. His armor was also black, but with some traces of gold also present. By his side was perhaps the most dangerous looking lance I had ever seen…

"Uhm… who are you?" I stammered out, but my question was ignored.

"I noticed that Prince Marth's forces were riding close to this bastion. You must be one of his soldiers, are you not?"

"Er… I guess… but-"

"In that case…"

He then reached into his satchel and handed me a book labeled Thoron. I guess it was a magic tome…

"That magic tome belongs to Bishop Boah of Akaneia. Initially, Volzhin of Doluna had it locked away, but… let's just say I had chanced upon it."

I raised an eyebrow at this… I think there might be something he's not telling me…

"Um, sure… I guess you're asking me to return it then, is that right?"

The man nodded, "I'd greatly appreciate it if you would please."

"Right then…" I said as I put the book away.

"There's one last thing I also wish to ask of you and your liege…"

"And that is…?"

He gave me a serious look here, "I want you two to take care of Princess Nyna. I'm counting on you to keep her safe for your future battles…"

"You don't need to worry, sir. Lord Marth and I will do our best to protect Lady Nyna. You have my word on that." I replied.

He nodded, a faint trace of a smile appeared on his face, but it quickly vanished, "Very well then… I have to leave now. However, you can be certain of this… our paths will cross again in the future."

"Huh? But what do you- Wait!"

But the man rode away before I could question him further…

Who was that knight? Why would he say something like that…?

I'm seriously confused now…

Shaking my head, I left the village and started hiking east when the sounds of a pegasus flapping caught my attention from above…

Hey! That's the pegasus knight we met back in Pyrathi! Looks like someone else is with her too…

I quickly waved my arms to get their attention…

"Hey! Catria! Down here!"

It worked. Both pegasus knights flew down to my level…

"Ah! You're that swordsman that was with Prince Marth when I saw him last, aren't you?"

"Er, yeah… my name is Chris. We have rescued Maria already, so now Lady Minerva is on our side…"

"Yes, I've heard as such… so that means my sister and I will fight for your cause!"

I looked towards the other pegasus knight. She looked a few years older than Catria, and had long green hair as opposed to Catria's shorter blue hair…

"Oh, so that is your sister?" I questioned.

She stepped forward…

"That I am, Chris. I am Palla, of Medon's Whitewing Order. Thanks to your prince's efforts, we can finally fight against Doluna rather than for it."

"Well, that's great and everything, but why do you sound a bit worried?"

"It's our youngest sister, Est. She said she had something she needed to do in Grust, and I haven't heard word from her since. If the three of us come together… we could better assist you all."

"I see… well, I'm sure she'll be fine. Say, do you mind if I ride with one of you? I can lead you to where Lord Marth is."

"Alright then, Chris. Show us where to go!" Catria told me as she made room on her pegasus. I hopped on and directed them further inside the stronghold.

"We've got to hurry. There's a fleet of pegasus knights loyal to Prince Michalis coming this way…" Palla told us as we flew in closer. It wasn't too long before we finally found Marth waiting for us.

"Sire, Catria and her sister Palla are here to help." I said as I dismounted from the former's mount.

"Good to see you again, Catria. We appreciate your assistance." Marth greeted her.

"Of course, Prince Marth. You need only give your command…" she smiled.

Now that all of us were reunited, I had to tell grandpa what Palla told me.

"Grandpa, get the bowmen ready. Palla says that there are several pegasus knights coming in from the west. We need to be ready to face them…"

"I understand, Christopher. Thank you for the warning." He nodded, then turned to the bowmen, "All archers stand by for attack!"

Okay, now we'll be prepared for when that squadron arrives. It's time to strike down the king!

"Sire… it's time." I told him. I didn't specify what time it was, and I didn't need to. Marth wordlessly nodded and proceeded into the inner chamber of the bastion, with Linde and me flanking him.

"Prince Marth, don't be afraid to let us help you." Linde told him as we went through the hall.

"Thank you, Linde… but I want to settle this score personally." He replied.

After a couple of minutes, we finally made it into the throne room. Jiol looked shocked to see us here.

"Jiol…" Marth began, "Why did you do it? Why did you betray my kingdom and kill my father?"

Jiol simply smirked, "You pathetic whelp. You don't honestly think that imbecile you call a father had a chance against Doluna, do you? All he was doing was delaying the inevitable result of this war!"

Marth glared hatefully at this man.

"You were supposed to be our ally!" he shouted, "You filthy traitor!"

"Call me what you will, but it will change nothing. If I don't crush you here, the empire surely will."

Marth said nothing and drew his rapier. The king sneered at this…

"Heh, so the prince thinks he and his little friends can strike me down, does he?" he taunted as he raised his lance, "Well then, come and face me! I'll send you to hell where your father is waiting!"

Oh, he just made a HUGE mistake.

"Marth! Catch!" I called as I tossed him my Levin Sword. He caught it, and pointed right at Jiol…

Several bolts of lightning shot right for the king, electrocuting him. Unfortunately, he was able to withstand the attack just as the Levin Sword fizzled out…

"Blast… the sword's out of power!" Marth cursed. Jiol noticed that the attack stopped and tossed his javelin, forcing Marth to step back and switch to his rapier again.

"Say goodbye, you Altean worm!" he bellowed as he thrusted his lance right at Prince Marth's mid-section. He was nicked in the side, but thankfully he got out of the way from what would've been a fatal blow.

Now the prince made his move and used his rapier to stab at the gaps in his armor, immobilizing Jiol's legs.

"Agh!"

Forced to his knees, the king dropped his lance as Marth had his blade at Jiol's neck.

"W-Wait! Please… spare me! I don't want to fall here! I'll do anything you ask of me!"

For a brief moment, Marth hesitated… but then he lowered his weapon and turned away.

Even if Marth wanted to… it doesn't look like he can bring himself to finish him…

Suddenly, the king's panicked look turned into an evil smirk.

"About time you let your guard down… DIE!"

He would've picked up his lance and attempted a sneak attack… had Marth not turned quickly and jammed his rapier into the king's neck. Jiol finally fell face down, as a puddle of blood spouting from his neck began to grow…

"Father… I've done it." Marth muttered as he sheathed his weapon.

I slapped his back in congratulations, "That was well done, sire. I'm sure King Cornelius would be proud."

"I would hope so… (ow)"

"Ah, you were hit… here." I said as I handed him a vulnerary.

It took several minutes, but we eventually cleaned out the castle and took whatever was lying around…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Marth POV)**

At last… my father was avenged…

Now however, another problem was to be had here. I had everyone search the castle, but there was no sign of the Falchion…

"Marth? What is wrong?" a voice filled the air. I turned to see that it was Nyna speaking…

"It's the Falchion, Nyna. None of us were able to find it here…"

"Was it supposed to be here?"

"Supposedly… after one of my knights had returned from the field where my father, Cornelius, fell… he said that Gra had stolen the falchion. That sword is needed if we're going to do away with Doluna and the Dragon of Darkness, Medeus."

"Well, if Gra ever held it here, it's gone now…" Chris said as he came into the throne room.

"Chris? Then does that mean…"

"I'm afraid so, sire. Gharnef must've taken it…"

"Gharnef?" Nyna began to understand now, "Then that would mean…"

Marth nodded, "We make for Khadein, the desert kingdom of magic, first thing tomorrow. It hurts to know that I have to bypass my kingdom for the time being, but we have no choice in this matter now…"

"Great… a desert trip…" Chris grumbled as he left the room…

With no other option, we decided to set up base here for the night. Tomorrow, we would depart for Khadein and hopefully get back the Falchion…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

It was nightfall at the bastion of Gra, but I was feeling pretty restless as I sat in one of the foyers of the stronghold…

That man from the village was still plaguing my thoughts. Why was he saying that we would meet again in the future?

This is all too strange for my liking…

"Christopher? Are you alright?"

Hm? Oh, it's…

"Er… yes I am, Lady Nyna. Why do you ask?"

"It's just that you look as though something is troubling you…" she said as she sat across from me, "Would you like to talk about it?"

"Um… I don't know… it's a little odd."

"I'm sure it isn't anything that strange. Please, tell me…"

I sighed…

"Alright then… it's like this…" I started, "Before the battle here began, I decided to make for a nearby village to warn the locals of the fight about to start. However, when I got there, all the houses were already barricaded…"

"Oh? Then was the village abandoned?"

"No… I could see some people in their homes, but the only one that was outside was a man, probably around ten years my senior if I had to guess…"

Nyna's interest seemed to grow a little when I mentioned this…

"A man…?"

"Yeah… he gave me a Thoron tome and said to give it to Bishop Boah of Akaneia when I have the time… but that's not what's got my mind confused."

"What is it, then?"

"He said that he was counting on Prince Marth and I to keep you safe… and that we would surely meet again in the future."

Now Nyna's interest was making itself known, as she asked further…

"Christopher, this man… what did he look like?"

Now I was getting further puzzled… why was she asking me this?

"Christopher… please tell me."

I didn't see much of a choice here. I had to say it, but maybe I should leave a few details out…

"Well, I didn't really get a good look at his face, but… he wore some very black armor with some gold patterns on it. He was also holding a pretty dangerous-looking spear…"

As soon as I finished my description, I noticed Nyna's eyes widen and a hand shoot up to her mouth as she let out a soft gasp…

"Er… Lady Nyna? Did I say something wrong…?"

"Ah… n-no you didn't. I… I must leave now. Please excuse me…"

As though she had just seen a phantom, she quickly left the foyer to wherever her quarters were for the time being…

I just looked on confusedly… what the heck was that all about?

Shaking my head, I got back up and made for my room. As I neared my door, however…

"Don't move, Christopher."

I froze up immediately when I felt the tip of someone's sword at the back of my neck. Carefully, I turned around to find that Astram, the green-armored hero, was glaring at me with his sword pointed right at me.

Doing my best to hide my fear, I questioned him…

"Ah… care to explain why you're about to execute me?"

"I happened to see you speaking with the princess, and she ran off from you when you finished conversing with her. What did you say to her to cause that?"

I had to think quickly here. He seems to be fiercely loyal and protective of Lady Nyna…

I quickly spoke up when the point of his sword went closer…

"Look, before you go slicing my head off, I must say this. I am not plotting anything against Lady Nyna. She's done nothing to deserve anything like that…"

"Even if you are not, I believe you need to understand something…"

Geez… if looks could kill, I'd be dead several times over…

"I do not approve of a vagrant like you conversing with my future queen. The same warning I gave to your prince shall apply to you as well. If you or your liege is being false to her in any way, I will strike you both down without remorse."

Just as I suspected. He was intimidating Lord Marth…

Well, I'm not going to be so lenient with this guy…

Quashing my fear, I responded in kind, "Is that a threat, Sir Astram? Because I don't take kindly to those against me or my friends…"

He still had his eyes narrowed as he answered, "And what if I am threatening you? What are you going to do about it?"

At this, I drew my own sword and batted away Astram's blade…

"It's YOU who needs to realize something, Astram. If you even think of harming Prince Marth… you're going down, backlash and repercussions be damned."

Why is he looking at me like I'm mad? I'm serious here…

"You, challenging me? Boy, you are completely out of your league if you believe you would have a chance against me."

"If it will stop you from harming my friend and liege, then I don't care if I die trying." I spoke with finality, "I am not losing anyone else to this war, and I'll be damned if you try anything against us from within our ranks just because of your loyalty to Lady Nyna."

It was a long silence… but he finally sheathed his weapon. Taking that as a sign, I followed suit.

"Very well then, Christopher. I see that you're willing to protect your liege, just as I am mine…"

With that, he turned to leave for his room, but not before turning his head to address me one last time.

"…but that doesn't mean you're off the hook. You would do well to remember what I told you."

I narrowed my eyes at him in return…

"Same to you, Astram, and I mean every word."

Our exchange of words completed, I went inside my room and did my usual habit of writing down all that happened throughout this battle. Once that was done, I blew my candle out to go to sleep, part of me still wondering if it was really a smart idea to shoot my mouth off at one of Akaneia's greatest swordsmen…

I must've either been really brave, or just stupid for doing that…

In any case, tomorrow is when we make a trip to Khadein, the magic kingdom in the desert…

While I don't like deserts at all, I just had to suck it up, as it was the only way to get to Gharnef and take the Falchion back…

I just hope we can do all of this easily enough if he's as powerful as people claim him to be…

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER**

_So ends another long chapter._

_For those wondering, Ogma and Chris are heroes, Barst is a Warrior, Draug is a General (In the style of the GBA games), and Castor is a Horseman._

_As per usual, if you have any commentary or reviews, I'll be listening._

_Until next time, farewell._


	9. The Source of Sorcery

_**DISCLAIMER: **__Fire Emblem ain't mine, mmkay? All I have to my name is this OC._

_***REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_**MattyBoy91: **__What can I say? Heroes are simply awesome. :D_

_And yeah, Generals using bows is just too odd for my liking. The GBA Generals were a lot better…_

_As always, I'll keep on writing!_

_***END REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_Now how about another chapter?_

* * *

**CHAPTER 8**

**The Source of Sorcery**

_Having failed to recover the Falchion at Gra, our forces were forced to stray from Altea and head north…_

_This path would take us to Khadein… a land said to be a sanctuary for aspiring wizards._

_Now however, it has fallen under the rule of Gharnef, the evil sorcerer allied with the Shadow Dragon, Medeus._

_From what I've heard grandpa tell me, many warriors had banded together to defeat this sinister foe, yet all of them stood no chance against the mages bent to his will. With their powerful spells, they annihilated all that would stand to oppose Gharnef and his rule…_

_And so it came to be that my friends and I would set foot in this desert city… a city that has been, and continues to be, veiled under the shroud of this man's evil._

XXXXXXXXXX

So… hot…

I wasn't sure how many sips of water I had taken from my canteen since we got to this place, but it was already beginning to run dry.

This place was scorching hot, and I was sweating pretty badly from underneath the desert sun. Of course, it could be worse… I could end up like the armored knights. I couldn't even begin to imagine their temperature underneath all that armor…

I noticed Linde approaching, and she offered me a little bit of water for me. Naturally, I accepted wholeheartedly.

"Hah… thanks, Linde."

"Don't mention it. This desert is pretty treacherous…" She replied.

She was correct there… this sand made it really hard to move at times, moreso for our horse-riders. Heck, I couldn't even understand how Linde, Merric and the rest of our magic users were able to walk through this terrain without much trouble…

As we continued to trudge through the desert, Linde spoke up once more.

"Um, Chris? May I ask you something?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Have you ever thought of trying your hand at magic?"

Immediately, I thought back to the first time I tried it… then shuddered at the end result.

"Chris?"

Wait, she saw that, didn't she? Gah…

"Er… I have, yes. But…"

"But what? Did something happen?"

"Er, yeah… and it wasn't pretty."

Linde looked at me curiously, and I had to ask…

"Do you REALLY want to know?"

She nodded, unsure of what to think. I let out a sigh…

"Well, alright… it happened like this."

XXXXXXXXXXX

***FLASHBACK STARTS NOW, 6 YEARS AGO***

_It was another peaceful day in the courtyards of Altea Castle. Having finished my chores at the castle for the day, I had a couple of hours of free time handy before I had to come home with mom and dad. I was simply taking a stroll around the castle when I noticed the green-haired pupil, Merric, nearby…_

"_Merric? What are you doing here?"_

_He turned to see me, and he smiled…_

"_Oh, hey there, Chris! I received leave from my master back in Khadein, so I decided to pay my homeland a visit."_

"_Well, it does me good to see you here, Merric! It's been too long since your last visit!" I grinned, then noticed a tome with an image that looked like a fireball on the front…_

"_Hey, Merric? Is that a magic tome you're holding?"_

"_Sure it is."_

"_Wow! Can I see it?"_

"_Well, I don't see a problem with that…"_

_When he handed me the tome, I opened it up to see what it said…_

_Huh?_

_Okay, this is strange… the writing seems incomprehensible…_

"_How do you use this? I can't read most of the stuff written here!" I exclaimed as I raised my hand in the air, "Seriously… Ignes? Firaga? Phlogizo? What the heck do these words have to do with-"_

"_Ah… Chris? You might want to look to your right…"_

_Huh, what did he mean?_

_Wait… it smells like something's… burning?_

_When I looked right, I noticed that a couple of nearby bushes were burning quickly. As it turned out… my free hand was pointing at them. Panic gripped us both as the flames continued to spread further into the courtyard…_

"_No! We've got to put it out quickly!" Merric exclaimed._

_As the smell of smoke came into the castle, the alarms were raised and everyone, including King Cornelius and Queen Liza, had to evacuate the castle quickly while servants spent the next hour putting the flames out. We were lucky that the blaze didn't spread further into the castle…_

_After that whole mess was sorted out, I came clean with what I did. The end result of all this was me getting a stern talking to from my grandpa and King Cornelius and one heck of a paddling from my father when we returned home to Sera…_

***FLASHBACK ENDS NOW***

XXXXXXXXXX

"And that's why I'm never allowed to use a magic tome…" I finished. My face was bright red the whole time I told her this story, though whether it was from embarrassment or from the desert heat was beyond me…

Linde was giggling by the time I wrapped up my tale, so when I saw this, I just looked down…

"Yeah, pretty stupid of me, huh?"

She stopped laughing, and just told me, "Don't be so down on yourself! It just wasn't your calling, that's all."

"Yeah… I guess you're right."

Still, it would've been nice to see if magic was something I could be good at…

"Hey, Chris!" Cain came towards us, "Sir Malledus came to tell you that-"

The red-armored cavalier stopped when he noticed Linde next to me, and then he grinned…

"Oh, pardon me. I didn't know you two were busy at the moment. I think I'll come back later…"

"Oh come on, Cain! It's not like that!" I snapped back, blushing as I did.

"Sure it wasn't…" he smirked, then he motioned for the both of us to follow him. The next minute, we were all gathered together as my grandfather was looking through his spyglass…

"Malledus, do you see anything?" Marth questioned him.

"There's a small shrine to the east, surrounded by a lake… Khadein's palace is to the north… several mages and dracoknights are patrolling the area… wait a minute… it's Gharnef! He knows we're here!"

"All soldiers, prepare to attack!" Commander Jeigan called out the command.

Looks like it's time for another skirmish…

Wiping the sweat from my brow once more, I decided to stick close to Linde in case some foe tries to surprise her. I hope this fight ends quickly, because I'm not sure any of us would last too long in this heat…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Marth POV)**

This desert was going to prove unfavorable for our forces, but we don't have much of a choice but to face the enemy. Our bowmen were on standby in case the enemy dracoknights approached, and my swordsmen and I were preparing to handle the mages…

Thinking quickly, I rushed through the sands and thrusted my sword into the chest of a mage. Pulling my weapon free, I turned to see another mage uttering another incantation, but Caesar was able to slice him down before he could finish his spell.

"Hey! Prince Marth!" Julian called out, "Want me to check for goods in that shrine over there?"

I gave a quick nod of confirmation, and he hurried off to the east, dodging magical shots from mages all the way through.

The dracoknights were not too tough to deal with. Our bowmen were all we needed to shoot them down. It was mostly the Khadein mages loyal to Gharnef that were giving us trouble. Macellan and Draug were able to hold their own by slaying them before they could attack, but Dolph and Roger was coming under fire from several blizzard spells. Chris and Radd had to hurry and intercept them before they caused more harm.

After Chris, Radd, and Dolph came back to my group, I made my way to the north, with Sheeda, Linde, and Ogma following. The palace of Khadein wasn't too far now, and we were just about to reach the gates, when…

"_**Ha ha ha… you pathetic fool of Altea. You and your friends have beaten my cohorts, and yet you still understand nothing."**_

That voice… there was someone here!

"Hey! Who's there?" Chris called out…

That question soon answered itself as a dark cloud emerged from the sand, and then took the shape of a short man…

When the smoke cleared, we got a clearer view of him. His dark skin and hideous features were a terrifying sight to behold…

"You…" I growled, "You're Gharnef, aren't you?"

He chuckled sinisterly…

"That I am, Altean Prince. You don't honestly think you and your lot can bring me down, do you? You're efforts are futile!"

His eyes then fell to Linde…

"Oh, and you've found that cretin Miloah's child, have you? Perfect… that will make it all the easier for me to destroy her…"

"You would like that, wouldn't you…?" Linde growled, and opened her Aura tome, "I'll never forgive you for what you did to my father!"

"Foolish girl…" the sorcerer scoffed, "What can you possibly do to harm me? I cannot be beaten… not by any of you."

With that, he opened his tome, and as soon as he did, a dark sinister aura surrounded his form…

"What sorcery is this!" I demanded.

"That doesn't matter! He must be brought down now!" Dolph cried out as he hurled a javelin at the sorcerer.

What the… his aura!

The dark aura surrounding Gharnef increased in size, and the javelin was then surrounded in the evil energies. It was as though the aura had a life of its own, as the javelin was then tossed aside.

Linde also attempted to take him down, as she sent a huge beam of light (that being her Aura) right towards the dark wizard, but once again, the attack did nothing. Gharnef didn't even flinch as the light explosion was completely nullified from the dark aura surrounding him…

Impossible… can this man even be beaten?

"You see? Nothing you throw at me will work." He smirked maniacally, but then his hands raised and a dark hole suddenly formed above him…

"Now… feel the power of my dark magic, Imhullu, and despair!"

From the hole, several demonic spirits emerged and scattered about. They circled above us until…

"Dolph! Get out of there!" Chris called out to the armored knight…

Unfortunately, he was too slow to react.

The evil apparitions suddenly dove down to our level and encircled Dolph… before rushing right through him several times. Dolph screamed in pain as he fell to his knees and became enveloped in the shadows…

When the phantoms finally dissipated, Dolph was face down in the sand… unmoving.

"Dolph…? Dolph, wake up!" Radd shook the knight.

"Fool… he is no longer of this world." Gharnef mocked, "And soon, the empire will guarantee that none of you will be either!"

"What do you mean!" Chris raged, "Why don't you try taking us yourself?"

"Insolent child, I see no need to bother with any of you now." Then he turned to me, as dark smoke emerged from the sands beneath him…

"Listen well, Altean whelp! If you want the divine blade, Falchion, you'll have to pry it from my corpse! You will find me in the Temple of Thabes, so come and face me if you dare…"

With that, the smoke piled up and enveloped the sorcerer, and he was gone when the cloud cleared up…

"Sire!" I heard Jeigan approaching, "The area is clear now. We've just-"

He stopped when he noticed Dolph lying motionless in the sand as Chris was shouting for a healer to get here immediately.

"Sire? Is Dolph…?"

I only nodded. We lost another one to the enemy…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

Many hours had passed since we captured Khadein's palace from Gharnef. I was feeling pretty down on myself for letting another comrade die like that…

Sure, it was because of Gharnef of all people, but I still felt that I should've done more to stop him…

There was only one thing I could do now.

I had to speak to Macellan and apologize for what happened…

"Macellan! Where are you!" I called out in the halls.

"I'm right here, Chris."

Ah!

I quickly turned around to speak to him…

"Ah, you're here…"

"It's about Dolph, isn't it?"

I nodded… "Macellan… I'm so sorry. I should've done a better job keeping your friend alive…"

He shook his head, "Dolph was a soldier, lad. He knew that this line of work meant putting his life on the line for his nation. I don't believe he had any regrets…"

"But-"

"It wasn't you that killed him, boy. It was that foul wizard." He cut me off, "Don't let this weigh you down more than necessary."

He turned away to head for his room, leaving me to my thoughts…

How many more people are we going to lose in this damned war? Haven't we suffered enough?

I just shook my head as I made my way to the throne room. Marth and my grandfather were inside when I got there…

"Chris, you're still awake?" Marth asked me.

"Yeah… I've been thinking about all that happened in this battle… mainly how much of a waste it was."

Marth only nodded as I went on…

"We didn't even get what we were coming for and we ended up losing another one in our ranks." My palm was over my eyes at this point as I was looking down, "What can we do now? Gharnef has the sword, but we can't even touch him as long as he holds that Imhullu spell…"

"Not to mention that Thabes isn't even marked on our maps…" grandpa added, "Even if we had a way to stop him, he would be difficult to find…"

"_**Pr…arth… Prince… Marth…"**_

Huh? Where was that voice coming from?

"Who's there! Show yourself!" I drew my sword as I shouted.

Suddenly… a white apparition faded into view on the throne…

The spirit took the form of what appeared to be an elderly man in sage's robes, and he had the longest beard I had ever seen…

"Who are you?" Marth questioned the spirit…

The spirit answered, _**"My name is Gotoh. Although it may look like I am here before you, this image is but an illusion, created by me so that I may speak to you from my current location, Medon."**_

Well, that explains the fading in and out he's doing…

"Hold on…" I suddenly remembered, "You're Gotoh? As in… the legendary White Sage?"

The spirit nodded, _**"Yes… some have referred to me by that name."**_ Then, his expression turned serious…

"_**Now… you all must listen to me. It is just as Gharnef says… he has made off with the Falchion. With both the sword and the Imhullu magic in his possession, even the Doluna Empire will fall before him. Gharnef knows this, and that's why he plans to conquer Doluna, and then… the entire world."**_

Unbelievable…

It was hard to say which was the bigger threat now… sure, Medeus is fearsome in and of himself, but Gharnef's threat might trump that Earth Dragon's power eventually.

Marth questioned, "So is Imhullu really as powerful as we have witnessed?"

"_**Yes… the one who holds it is effectively impervious to any form of harm." **_the phantom nodded gravely.

"How do you know all of this?" I asked him.

"_**I was formerly the guardian of the spell. I kept it close to me at all times, for I knew that its power was wrought with unimaginable evil. However… Gharnef, one of my two pupils – Miloah being the other – vanished after stealing it from me."**_

He looked down in what appeared to be shame…

"_**Forgive me… it is because of my carelessness that he continues to mock every one of you by robbing you of one of your comrades. Allow me to make amends by showing you the one and only way to counteract Imhullu…"**_

"How do we do that?" Marth questioned.

"_**There are two orbs that you and your friends need to find. They are called the Lightsphere and the Starsphere. From these orbs, I can craft for you the one spell that will tear through the darkness that protects Gharnef: the powerful light magic, Starlight."**_

So… there IS a method to counteract Imhullu.

Question is, where will we find these orbs? I voiced my concerns…

"_**You will find the orbs in the Fane of Raman. If you can get the orbs, then seek me out in Medon, and I will create the spell for you all."**_

The image of Gotoh suddenly flickered…

"_**Ah… my time is short. Just remember what I have told you… and I wish you all the best of luck."**_

With that, the image of Gotoh faded away…

"I guess our objective is clear then…" Marth noted, "If we're to reclaim the Falchion to destroy Medeus, then we must find those two orbs so we can get the spell to beat Gharnef…"

"That is true… but before we do that, we must reclaim Altea. We're not too far from there, and I believe we've grown in strength to challenge the forces that occupy the kingdom…" Grandpa told us.

He was right…

Before we can go about getting the tools needed to best Imhullu, we should concentrate on the reason we were originally coming this way.

To reclaim our home from the empire.

Left with nothing else to add, I decided I needed to be alone for now. With all that has happened, I had a lot to think about…

In the middle of my wanderings, I eventually realized I had stepped outside in an upper level of the palace. The view was pretty good; I had to admit… even if all there was to see was an endless ocean of sand…

My mind was in a bit of a daze at the moment from all that we learned…

Altea was just close by… and the time for me to exact my objective was drawing near.

We needed to obtain the items needed to create the one thing that will negate Imhullu…

And finally, we needed to mount our own offensive once we free Altea again.

Were we ready for all of this? Would this be too much for us to handle?

*sigh*

The sound of approaching footsteps from behind me alerted my attention. I turned to see who it was…

"Ah, good evening Linde."

"Good evening to you too, Chris. How come you're out here? It's pretty cold!"

She was right… how did I not catch that?

"You're right… we'd better head inside…" I said, and we both went back into the palace. As we walked though, I was still looking pretty pensive…

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, erm… nothing. It's just that there's a lot on my mind right now…"

"Like what?"

"Well… tomorrow we're all heading for Altea. It is there that a bitter enemy is waiting…"

"The mage dragon…"

"Yes… but that's not all that's bothering me. You saw it yourself, didn't you? How Gharnef simply shrugged off our attacks as though they were nothing?"

"I did…" she said as she looked down in disappointment.

"Well, Marth and I received a message from the legendary White Sage himself on how to defeat him."

Her eyes widened at this…

"Gotoh? The White Sage was there? What did he say?"

"Actually, it was only an illusion created by him, but he did say what we needed to do."

And so I explained to her what it was that we needed to get.

"So if we can obtain these orbs and get the spell, Gharnef should go down." I finished.

"I see… then perhaps all is not lost."

I nodded… "It's too bad I can't help you on your own mission. With his dark power, I can't even touch him…"

She just shook her head, "I appreciate your concern and your willingness to help, but I want to settle this score with Gharnef myself."

"I see…"

"Besides, it's your objective I'm worried about…"

"What do you mean?"

"You're going up against a dragon that's completely immune to magic, so Merric and I won't be able to help you. Don't you fear what could happen?"

I looked down at this…

"I would be lying if I said I didn't… but it's too late for me to change my mind. I want to defeat this beast myself, with my own hands…"

"I understand… but it's just that…"

"What?"

Why is she looking away now?

"I… I just want you to be careful when we get to Altea. You've come too far to lose now…"

Oh, is that all?

"I'm pretty sure I'll be fine, Linde." I grinned, "I don't plan on dying yet… not until my job is done."

Eventually, we came to my room for the night…

"Well, Linde… I guess it's time to call it a night. I'll see you in the morning…"

"Right… sleep well, Chris."

I nodded and went inside my room, going through my usual motions of writing all that had gone on in this battle, for what it was worth…

Blowing out the candle, I closed my eyes as my head hit the pillow.

A big day lied ahead of us now… one we had been anticipating since the day we were forced to flee.

The time had come to take back what was stolen from us: our home, the kingdom of Altea.

We've trained long and hard for this moment… the only question that remained was…

Were we ready for the trials that were to come on that day?

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER**

_That's yet another chapter down and out!_

_Hopefully, I made Imhullu's effects come out right…_

_If you have any reviews or other commentary, feel free to speak of it._

_Until next time, farewell._


	10. Freedom and Vengeance

_**DISCLAIMER: **__*Holds up a sign saying that I don't own Fire Emblem and that I only own the OC of this story*_

_***REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_**Mattyboy91: **__Glad to be of service… bro. LOL…_

_**Scuttlest: **__It's a pretty difficult task to try and show the characters' thoughts and viewpoints without it overtaking the action. I haven't been too successful in trying to find the perfect medium for the two…although that doesn't mean I haven't stopped trying._

_***END REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_**NOTE: **__Samson will appear for the rest of this book, but Arran won't appear until Book 2._

_Alright, now let's get this chapter rolling…_

* * *

**CHAPTER 9**

**Freedom and Vengeance**

_Once again, our previous mission to recover the Falchion ended in failure. It took the death of another comrade to realize that Gharnef and his Imhullu magic cannot be beaten by normal means._

_That said, we decided to do what we came here to do originally, and so we all marched south… to Altea, our home._

_From the time I had grown up, I had always known Altea to be a beautiful realm, with its clear waters and rich greenery…_

_So when I laid eyes upon the land, I was nearly brought to tears when I saw that the empire had reduced this great kingdom to near ruin…_

_Well, no more. It's time to put the people's torment and suffering to an end, and take back our home by driving away Doluna's forces!_

_Then… the kingdom may return to the peaceful land I remember from so long ago…_

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Marth POV)**

2 years…

For 2 long restless years, I had spent several nights worrying about the safety of my sister… and wondering if I had the power to take back Altea.

But I can't second-guess myself now. We are here, and we will rout Doluna from here, or die trying…

Chris, Nyna, and Linde were beside me, surveying the now barren lands and ruined villages.

"This is Altea…" Nyna began, "We've made it, Marth. It is your home…"

I nodded… but then I noticed Chris focusing only on the ruins of one particular village just ahead…

"Chris? Is that…"

"Sera village…" he cut me off, "The enemy destroyed the place when Altea came under attack. I doubt anyone is alive there now…"

His fists clenched…

"But I swear… when this war ends, I will rebuild this place and make it prosper like before…"

"And I will be there to help you." I told him, "I'll do whatever it will take to rebuild the places that the empire left in ruins."

"Thanks, sire…"

I looked onward as we surveyed the surroundings… and I made my thoughts known to those with me.

"It's been two years since Doluna took my kingdom from me… and it's only because of my sister's sacrifice and that of many others that I still live…"

"Do you know what became of your family?" Nyna questioned.

"You know that my father fell in Gra, and the last that I saw of my mother and sister was as the castle was being taken over…"

I looked towards the castle…

"I don't know if they live still… but if they do, I will rescue them. Make no mistake about that…"

When I turned back to face them, Malledus was approaching me…

"Sire, preparations are complete. Everyone is ready to attack."

"Right… thank you, Malledus."

Standing tall, I motioned for everyone to pay attention.

"Alteans and friends of the league!" I called, "I want to thank you all for sticking through these countless battles and for your dedication in bringing down the empire! Now more than ever, this is where I will need your assistance! Join me now in this endeavor, so that my people may no longer live in suffering under Doluna's rule!"

Everyone raised their voices and let out a call to war.

"Now! Let's move out!" I shouted once again as I raised my weapon.

With no further delay, I led the charge westward. As expected, the enemy knew we were coming, and so they sent a few dracoknights to hamper our movement. Gordin and Jeorge were quick to shoot at them, and I witnessed first-hand the power of the Parthia bow…

I don't think I had ever seen the same arrow pierce right through the wyvern AND its rider before…

In any case, there were a couple of villages not too far from where we were currently situated. My father once told me about these villages. For some reason, they've always been in a dispute over something, and negotiations between the villages have always failed…

I decided to have a look inside the eastern village to see if everyone was okay. When I arrived, I received a very warm welcome from my people. Once they received word of the battle raging on outside, they immediately retreated to their homes… save for the blue-armored hero that was coming for me.

"Well, looks like Altea's prince has returned!" he greeted.

"I have, yes… but who are you?"

"My name is Samson, sire. I was formerly an arena-fighter of some fame…"

"Yes, I have heard of you…" I replied, "Our knights once tried to recruit you into their service, didn't they?"

"Yes, well… I wasn't interested in any of that at the time. Although, now it looks like you could use some help in this battle…"

"Are you offering your sword?"

"Hey, if you're looking for another man, I'd be honored to fight by your side. Too bad the other soldier in the neighboring village won't be joining us, though…"

"They're still feuding even after the empire has taken over? Are they really that stubborn?"

"It's not really my place to say, sire. I'm just telling you what I know."

"Well, regardless of all that, it's good to have you with us." I told the hero, "Now let's hurry and get moving."

Rejoining the clash outside, I noticed that several cavaliers and horsemen were riding in from the south. Draug, Macellan, and Roger (who was now sporting heavier armor) all had ridersbanes handy, so we had a pretty good chance of holding our positions. Meanwhile, enemy forces were attempting to come in from the north, but Chris, Linde, Caesar, and Gordin were keeping them from advancing.

After a half-hour, the enemy cavalry ended up falling to our armored knights. Draug and Roger were mostly unharmed, but Macellan felt a little more pain, so Wrys was left to tend to those three. Chris and Caesar were pretty scratched up from the cavalry coming in from the north, so Lena had to patch them up before we could circle around to the eastern prison.

As we made our way south and east, the prison came into view. With Julian's help, we got the door open, only to be accosted by a couple of heroes. Fortunately, Cain and Abel were quick to ride in and run them through on their lances. Neither hero got up after that…

"Hey guys! Thanks for savin' my hide in there!"

Huh? Who is this person?

A strange-looking male stepped into view after Cain and Abel cleared the way…

"Who are you, sir?" I questioned him.

"Name's Xane, princey! I'm from a place that is not well known to the outside world…"

"And that is?"

"I don't want to bore you with the details, really. The important thing is my folk and I have the ability to shapeshift into other people. Observe!"

He raised his hands, and in a bright light…

Woah! He… he looks just like me! Although he took my form, his voice was still the same as his original form…

"Pretty cool, right? Doluna tried to force me on their side when they noticed my ability, but I'm not interested in working for those evil coots! How about I join with you from now on? I'm pretty useful to have around… wouldn't you say?"

"Well… sure, if you're really interested."

"Swell!" He cheered, then changed back into his original form, "I won't disappoint you, princey!"

Nodding, I decided it was time to direct my forces north now, to the castle. On the way there, a general attempted to confront us, but Linde was faster on the draw and obliterated him with Boah's Thoron magic. He went down after the blast of lightning tore through his armor…

Soon, we fell upon the castle gates and a black-armored general was waiting for us there. The insignia on his armor told me that he might've been one of Grust's Sable Knights…

"Very impressive, Altean whelp. Any normal army would've fallen to my soldier's might by now…"

He hefted his lance…

"However, these castle gates will be your resting place!"

"Not if we've anything to say about it!" I challenged him.

Ogma and Barst had an armorslayer and hammer ready, and so they charged at the general. The reach of his lance was enough to keep Ogma at bay, but Barst made a hard swing with his massive hammer, leaving a good size dent in the general's chest-plate. With the enemy commander now staggering from the blow, Ogma was able to rush in with the armorslayer and slice right through the metal and his flesh. With his innards now ripped open and exposed, Gordin took the opportunity to fire a couple of arrows into the exposed wound, causing him to fall to the ground, blood pooling beneath him…

"Nngh… General Camus… it's up to you… now…"

And thus, the general was no more…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

Once again, I was in awe at how my two teachers handled the general. They really made it look easy…

Of course, I couldn't forget about Gordin. He made the killing blow, after all…

"Whew… it was tough, but they're gone now." I sighed.

Nyna then approached the prince…

"That was well done, Prince Marth. On behalf of House Akaneia, I wish to congratulate you and your friends."

I decided to speak up here…

"We can't officially call it a victory yet, Lady Nyna. I'm sure there are plenty of foes waiting in the castle itself…" I turned to the prince, "Sire, do you have anything you'd like to say before we assemble and reclaim the castle?"

"Yes… I do." Marth replied, so I fell in with the rest of the crowd…

"Altean soldiers, and those who have decided to join our cause, I am truly grateful to have you on my side. After coming through a long, treacherous road, Doluna has finally been routed from our homeland…"

He took a moment to regain his composure…

"I cannot thank you all enough for helping me in this endeavor… however, there are still several enemies that are still in the castle! And so I ask once more… my friends, help me to drive them out so that Altea can truly be free from the empire's hold!"

Every one of us let out a war cry, and without any further delay, we charged into the gates…

XXXXXXXXXX

_We were successful in eliminating the enemy commander and his forces, but there was still the matter of retaking the castle._

_The few village locals remaining told us who it was that was occupying the castle… the mage dragon, Morzas. It was then that I learned the atrocities that my opponent had committed during his stay..._

_According to them, after General Camus of Grust left this place, Morzas was left to occupy the kingdom. He was a cruel, evil individual who would kill innocent Altean citizens if they so much as looked at him funny. My family's last letter to me had proven true, it seemed…_

_Morzas…_

_This bastard slew my mother and father, and he continues to slaughter innocent people on his own whim. I was going to make him pay in blood for his transgressions…_

_Mom… Dad… I hope you're watching. With this wyrmslayer, I will strike him down for good._

XXXXXXXXXX

"Sire…" grandpa told the prince, "During the clash outside, I've received word from the locals… and it's about your mother, Queen Liza."

"Mother? Is she okay?" Marth asked frantically.

"I'm afraid… that she's gone. The one occupying the castle, Morzas…"

"He killed her, didn't he…" I finished, a bitter tone in my voice. Grandpa's answer was a slow nod…

"No… mother… not you too." Marth looked down.

"It doesn't get much better from there, sire…" he continued, "Apparently, while Princess Elice is still alive, Gharnef has taken her prisoner. She's probably in Thabes if that is the case…"

Marth looked down in sadness. He's gone through too much in this war… all of us have, really.

I approached the prince and spoke to him…

"Sire… please allow me to face that mage dragon. The queen, mom, dad, and everyone else who was mindlessly slain under his occupation… in their names, I want to take him down myself."

Marth only nodded when I said this, "Chris… be careful."

"Understood."

As grandpa directed Lena to warp Rickard and Julian to the treasury to secure whatever goods were left, I broke away from the majority of the forces going to the western halls of the castle, and instead made my way to the doors of the throne room, just to the east. Taking a spare door key one of the enemy soldiers had left behind, I opened the door…

Before me was a dark green-cloaked man with a sinister expression looking down at me from the throne.

No doubt about it… this was Morzas, the one foe I've been waiting 2 long years to slay.

"Kee hee hee… so that fool of a prince was too much of a coward to face me himself, was he?"

I said nothing to him, opting instead to glare hatefully at him…

"Speak, you wretch of a human! What have you come here for, other than to meet your end?"

I growled, "You're going to die, Morzas. For all the lives you've ended during your occupation here…"

"Kee hee… they are all wastes of life. They serve no purpose in this world and that is why they deserve nothing more than death!"

My knuckles were surely turning white from all the clenching I was doing at the moment…

"You will NOT speak of my family that way, you damned monster!"

"I've killed many wretched humans in my time, so those worms you call your mother and father make no difference to me…" He grinned sadistically, "All attempts to oppose me have been met with failure, and yours will be no different. Don't tell me that you're still thinking of killing me…"

I couldn't take it anymore…

"Oh, I'm going to do more than kill you…" I snarled as I drew my wyrmslayer, "I'm sending you to hell where you and your brethren belong!"

He sneered, "Witless little vermin! None have defied a Mage-Dragon and lived to speak of it!"

"Then it'll please me to be the first!"

With that, Morzas raised his dragonstone and enveloped himself in a bright light…

His form had taken the shape of a dragon, like I expected. However, unlike the fire dragons I had seen, this dragon had a dark purple color to its scales and while he wasn't quite as bulky as all the other dragons I had seen, he was still much bigger than the average human…

"Come and face your destruction, wretch!"

He swung his left claw at my position, but I rolled in front of him and sliced at his body. He reared back when the sword cut into his scales, so I quickly backed away to avoid getting smashed, but the force of his weight coming down on the floor caused me to stumble. While I was attempting to regain my balance, he was taking in a huge breath!

Crap!

I barely got out of the way of the ensuing blast of flames Morzas blew at me. These tongues of fire were actually blue, signifying that they were either hotter than normal flames or contained magical properties…

I couldn't be bothered to know what was so special about them, as I was busy trying not to die.

I attempted to get to one of his back legs and immobilize him from there, but his tail caught me in my mid-section and I was sent crashing into a pillar.

Argh, damn it… I think he cracked a couple of ribs… ow…

I struggled to stand back up, but his right claw was reared back, ready to swipe at me. I had to think fast, so I mustered up a little strength and swung the wyrmslayer downward as Morzas' claw raced at me. A roar of pain from the dragon told me that my hit was a success…

Still smarting from the blow, I tried to approach the dragon once more, but his left claw caught me by surprise. It tore through my armor, leaving a pretty deep cut where his tail hit me earlier. I fell to my knees, struggling to stand up again…

"Just like all the other pathetic humans I've slain…" Morzas snarled, "Say goodbye, vermin!"

He drew back a huge breath, intent on incinerating me in his flames…

The pain was excruciating. I could barely stand back up, much less move out of the way…

Jerking my body to the right, I haphazardly rolled aside from his flames, but I didn't escape the attack completely. I let out a scream of agony as Morzas' flames partially torched my left arm. With only adrenaline fueling my battered body, I got to my feet as my now destroyed shield was discarded from my burned left arm. It was barely functional, and it hurt a lot to even move it.

"Foolish boy… you don't know when to die, do you?"

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Linde POV, 15 minutes ago)**

I had witnessed that Chris was speaking with the prince about something, and I was certain it had something to do with the occupant of the castle… Morzas. I wanted to follow him inside the throne room, but I was called by Malledus to assist in routing what was left of the empire's soldiers in the castle.

Along with Ogma and Caesar, I let the swordsmen take care of the mages while I set my sights on a fire dragon in another hallway. I had to move quickly to avoid the cloud of flames blown towards me, and I responded with a couple of Aura blasts. The beams of light shot forth and smote the beast and he collapsed lifelessly in a heap.

Once the west end of the castle was cleared, we went east and brought down a sniper along the way. Oddly enough, in his bag seemed to be some kind of card…

I'll need to ask what sort of card this is later.

Putting it away, we moved to where the throne's chamber was…

Wait, that scream! It had to be Chris!

"Chris is in trouble! We have to help him!" Marth called, and we opened the door…

Before our eyes, we noticed that he was facing a massive, purple dragon. The dragon had cuts on one of his claws and on his body, but Chris…

He was in very bad shape. He was barely standing and he was holding his bleeding midsection with a badly burnt left arm. I had to work fast here, and I quickly raised my hands to unleash Aura on the dragon…

The beam shot forth… but the dragon didn't even flinch as the attack hit his body.

This was the power of a Mage Dragon? I couldn't even faze him, and Merric probably can't either…

The dragon then turned and faced all of us…

"Grr… more humans!"

But while he faced us, Chris was already running at him. Using only one arm and whatever strength he had left, he swung wildly at the beast's body, leaving a couple more slashes on Morzas. The dragon buckled as the sword cut into his scaly form, and so Chris concluded his attack by thrusting his wyrmslayer into the body, all the way to the hilt. The dragon roared in pain as he finally collapsed in a heap…

"Argh… such power…"

"Hah… you're finished, Morzas! Say hello… to the reaper… for me… you damned dragon!" Chris taunted.

"Don't get… full of yourself… whelp… your friends… will never… defeat… Lord Medeus…"

Those were his final words before Morzas, mage dragon of Doluna, breathed no more.

"It's… over." I barely heard Chris mutter. The fight had surely taken a lot out of him, as he fell to his knees and slumped to the floor face down.

"Someone get help!" Marth shouted, signaling for healers to get him out of the area. I approached the fallen hero…

"Hold on, Chris… you're going to be fine. Stay with us!"

I made room for a few people as they carefully lifted the hero up and brought him to an empty room, and I stayed with him as Wrys, Lena, and Maria spent hours and many Recover staves in an attempt to treat his injuries.

It would be nearing dusk when they finally finished…

Nervously, I approached Lena…

"How is he?"

Gasping a little from all the concentration, Lena replied, "His suffered heavy injuries to his mid-section and it took a lot of work to treat the magic burns on his left arm, but other than that… I think he'll be fine after a few days."

"I see… thank you, Lena."

She smiled lightly and nodded, then followed Wrys and Maria out of the room. With nothing else left to do, I took a look at Chris' still form…

He looked… peaceful, as though a great weight had been lifted from his heart and mind. I wonder what he's thinking about now…

'_Hopefully good thoughts now…' _I smiled a little as I thought to myself.

I must say… all of his training must've paid off very well. He looked pretty fit despite his lean stature and his injuries, both current and previous…

Wait… why am I…

I looked away quickly as a surge of heat rushed to my face. Ah… what if Chris saw me looking at him like this?

"Nngh…"

He's waking up!

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

Was it all a dream? Did I really slay that beast?

Wait, scratch those questions… the fact that I was currently wracked with pain all over told me pretty clearly that I was successful.

"Chris? Are you alright?"

I slowly sat back up, hissing in agony as the pain in my mid-section flared up from the movement. My vision was blurry but I was able to make out the form of the one who made that voice… Linde.

"Well… let's put it this way… I've seen better days."

Once I regained my focus, I got a better look at Linde…

Wait… is her face red?

"Um… is something wrong, Linde?"

"Ah… no. Everything is fine…" she hesitantily answered.

"Er… okay then. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask me."

She only nodded. I was tempted to question her further, but I decided against it.

"I'll go send for the prince now…" Linde offered, but I called out to her just as she was getting to the door.

"Wait! Before you leave… I… I want to thank you again."

"What do you mean? It was just as I had heard… my magic didn't do anything to help you."

"No… you're wrong. It gave me a long enough distraction to finish him off…"

"I… yes, I guess it did…"

That was all she could say before she left the room.

Gee… pretty odd behavior she was showing…

After a couple of minutes of waiting, Marth, Nyna, and my grandfather all entered and were at my bedside…

"Christopher… thank the heavens you're okay…" grandpa told me as he gave me a light hug, being careful not to squeeze too hard.

"Yeah… I just wonder if this was what they wanted…"

"You did a terrific job, Chris." Marth told me, "On behalf of my mother, thank you for defeating that dragon."

"Don't praise me too much, sire. It's only because of your guidance that we were all able to come this far…"

I chuckled a bit, despite the pain flaring up again as I did that…

"Besides… it's always the commanders that get the most coverage in the records of war. No one's going to remember some random refugee turned soldier that fought alongside the prince in his time of need."

"We will, Christopher… and I believe that's what really matters." Nyna encouraged.

Well… she did have a point there.

It shouldn't matter who gets well known as a hero in the pages of history. If our friends knew about one another's efforts that they contributed to this war, then that should be enough.

Yeah… those sound like good words to take to heart.

"Thank you, everyone…"

"Can you move?"

"I'm a bit stiff, sire… but give me a few minutes."

"Right… but make haste if you can, Christopher. Can you hear all the voices outside the castle?"

Huh?

As I slowly got out of bed, I focused my ears…

Hey… grandpa's right! There's a lot of people cheering outside…

"Guess the people got word of our victory, huh?" I grinned weakly.

"Seems so… and I believe we should greet them. Let's go, everyone."

"Hey! Wait up!"

They left the room, allowing me to get myself dressed and follow them. It took a few minutes, but I made it to the upper levels of the castle. I took one look at the prince and put a hand on his shoulder…

"Well, sire… the people are waiting. Let them see their hero…"

He smiled and nodded, stepping out onto the scene to greet his people.

XXXXXXXXXX

_And so, thanks to all of our hard efforts, Altea was freed from Doluna's tyrannical rule._

_The people, having suffered much hardship at their oppressors, were quick to flock beneath the walls of the castle in celebration of our victory._

_But the greatest moment of all was when prince Marth appeared above to greet his citizens. All at once they saluted their hero with a deafening cheer…_

"_Glory to Marth, our prince of light! Glory to our star and savior!"_

_From this day forth, history would mark this event as the day that Marth – Altea's Shining Star – finally took back his kingdom after two long, grueling years of strife and travel…_

_And I couldn't have been happier for him at that moment. After all the pain and sorrow, there was no doubt in our minds that we earned this moment of joy for the people._

XXXXXXXXXX

Once the celebration had ended, I was back in my room once again. Grandpa was with me this time, and we were once again testing ourselves at a game of chess.

"Well, we did it… we got our home back, and I've completed my mission…" I said, moving a knight upward.

"Yes, we have…" Grandpa nodded, "Now it's time we mounted our own offensive."

One of his rooks took out a pawn.

"Our own offensive?" I asked, "So now this means we're actually going to launch an assault on the empire itself?"

Alright, I'll have the bishop take out one of his knights!

"Precisely, grandson. However, it'd probably be easier if we wage our campaign against Doluna's allies first."

Oh geez… his queen's moving, and it took out my knight!

"It's allies, huh?" I noted, moving one of my rooks out, "That means we'll have to face Grust and Medon then. Of course, we'll also need to work on getting the orbs we need for the Starlight magic."

"If that's the case, we should attack Grust first." Grandpa told me, "The Fane of Raman is just north of there, so we can get the orbs on the way there…"

His other knight's on the move now…

"Any luck on finding Thabes yet?" I asked him, sending my other bishop to remove his other knight, "Check."

"None, I'm afraid… only Gotoh might know anything about that."

He's moving his king now.

"Well then… once we reach Medon, we'll just have to ask him…"

Now, my rook attacks his queen and traps his king! He's got nowhere to run now!

I looked up at him and grinned, "Checkmate."

"Ho! That was well-played, Christopher!" he praised, ruffling my hair as he said this, "You've truly grown since our journey began."

"Yeah… I guess I have…"

"I'm serious. Your mother and father would be very proud of you right now. To come this far and help free our nation is nothing to scoff at!"

I only nodded, knowing that he was correct in that regard.

"Well, grandson… it's getting late now." He said as he put away the pieces to the chess set, "Keep yourself rested now. Wrys, Lena, and Maria all worked tirelessly to heal your injuries. We'll be spending a few days resting here, so that should give you sufficient time to recover…"

"Right then… goodnight, grandpa."

He shut the door on the way out, and so I decided to log the records of this battle into my notebook. With that done, I blew out the candle and laid back in my bed…

We finally completed one of our core objectives in this war. We reclaimed Altea from the empire…

Now… it was time to strike back. Once we obtain the orbs we need, we'll target Grust and Medon and bring them both down.

Then… Gharnef and Medeus will follow, and we'll finally put an end to this awful war…

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER**

_With that, this chapter is complete._

_For those wondering, Roger is a General(Again in GBA style) now._

_If you've any commentary or reviews, I'm listening._

_Until next time, farewell._


	11. Black Knights and Dragon Princess

_**DISCLAIMER: **__Do I own Fire Emblem? No, I do not. All I own is the OC of this fic._

_***REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_**Mattyboy91: **__As per usual, you have my thanks for your encouragement. The next plot points are going to be huge, I hope!_

_***END REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_Now then, another chapter starts… now!_

* * *

**CHAPTER 10**

**Black Knights and a Dragon Princess**

_At long last, Altea was finally free from tyranny, and I got my revenge against its sinister occupant._

_However, the war with Doluna was far from over. It was now time to strike back against the empire, starting with its allies._

_As Gotoh told us back in Khadein, if he was to create the magic of Starlight, he was going to need two orbs from the Fane of Raman: the Lightsphere and the Starsphere. So after 6 days of mapping, recuperating, and re-arming, we set out for the Strait of Chiasmere._

_Unfortunately, it wasn't going to be that easy. Word had it that Grust caught wind of our victory, and so, in order to stop our advance, they sent the most powerful battalion their military could produce… the Sable Order._

_The fact that Grust had sent their most elite fighting force out to destroy us meant only one thing…_

_The empire was done playing around, and now they were pulling out all the stops to take us down._

XXXXXXXXXX

"Ten… twenty… thirty…"

Grandpa shook his head as he looked through the spyglass.

"How bad does it look?" I asked.

Putting away the telescope, he turned towards Marth and me.

"Several knights in black armor are waiting just across the bridge. It's surely the Sable Order."

"I see…" Marth responded, "Can you come up with a good attack plan?"

"It'll take a few minutes, but I believe so…" Grandpa nodded, then opened up a map to plot a good course of action.

Only some good planning and superior fighting prowess was going to give us a victory in this battle. I'll have to be careful for this, as I'm not completely recovered from that fight with that mage dragon…

As I was busy inspecting my new armor and shield, Nyna approached from behind us…

"Marth, Christopher… has the enemy already been spotted?"

"That is correct." Marth nodded, "It looks to be the Sable Order."

Hm? Why is Nyna perking up a little at this?

"Is that right… do you know who leads them?"

"Er… why does that matter?" I asked confusedly

"Oh… no, it's just- it's been said that the Sable Order is led by a masterful general. I… I just wanted to know if he was riding with them in this battle."

This is pretty strange… I wonder…

Marth interrupted my thoughts, "Ah, you must mean General Camus. I've been told that Doluna isn't too happy with him right now even if his prowess is exceptional."

"Guess he won't be showing up here then. Good thing, too… I highly doubt most of us could take him in a straight up fight." I added.

"Yes… that is good news." Nyna spoke hesitantly.

I swear, I think Nyna might know something… but what?

As we marched onward to the bridge, the sound of hoof-beats from the south alerted our attention.

The Sable Order was advancing!

"Draug! Roger, front and center now! Merric, Linde, support from the rear!" Grandpa quickly called.

As he commanded, Draug and Roger had their ridersbanes at the ready, while Merric and Linde were providing support from behind them.

As expected, a few cavaliers were approaching from the south. Draug and Roger were quick to run them down on their lances. The paladins on the other hand nearly forced our generals backward. It was only due to Merric's and Linde's spells that they succumbed to our might…

We continued to press on southward, bringing down several cavaliers and horsemen on our swords and lances. Things got a little crazy once we got to an open area across one of the bridges, as now we were a bit more widespread.

As a paladin charged at me, I tried my tactic of knocking them off their horse and finishing them that way… but he surprised me, as he quickly got back up and came at me. Normally, the cavaliers I had seen were not very skilled at combat off their mount as they were on them, but this time it was different. With his sword raised, he charged at me with intent to kill, so I raised my shield to block his strike…

Ouch! That smarts! The burn on my arm still stings some…

Gritting through the pain, I swung back with my own weapon, but he was quick to block. I jumped away immediately when he attempted another swing. Suddenly, he tensed up as a rapier point exited from his chest. He fell to the ground as Marth flicked off the blood from his sword…

"Chris? Are you well?"

"Er, yeah… but I could've taken him down myself…" I told him.

"You're not fully recovered, Chris. Don't get so reckless next time…"

"I… fine."

Suddenly, another voice quickly alerted us…

"Prince Marth! Up here!"

Both of us looked up to find a pegasus knight coming down to our position. She appeared to be just about my age (give or take a few years) and her hair was short and pink…

"Um… who are you?" I asked her.

"I'm Est, of Medon's Whitewing battalion!"

"Oh! You're Palla and Catria's sister then!" Marth noted, then called them over.

"Yes, and I've been looking for you." She replied, "I was originally going to join your army along with my sisters, but then I heard that Grust was in possession of one of the three regalia of Akaneia…"

At this, she pulled out a very fine looking sword…

"What kind of sword is that?" I asked the pegasus knight.

"This is the blade Mercurius. Isn't it impressive? It'll be a formidable weapon in our hands now…"

Est gave me the sword first, and I gave it a few test swings…

It was a quite a bit heavier than I was used to, especially one-handed. I decided to let Ogma hold on to it for the time being.

Maybe some other time, I could try using it myself…

In the meantime, the Sable Order continued to come at us furiously. Another paladin was coming towards Ogma and me… but with Mercurius in hand, Ogma swung hard and sliced right through the rider and his armor, fatally knocking him from the horse.

That really IS quite a weapon!

This bloody clash continued for hours, and even though Jake and Beck were covering for us with Arrowspate shots and a Stonehoist catapult, the Sable Order continued to come at us undaunted. Abel and Cain had ridersbane lances and were doing away with the cavaliers coming at them, but the paladins were also sporting the same lance that they were using, and so they had to get back immediately. It took the combined efforts of Barst and Darros (who was now wielding a massive axe like Barst was) to hack away at the enemy forces, even knocking them into the raging waters below the bridge.

"Hold the line! We can't allow the league to get to Grust!"

Was that the commander of these forces? We must be getting closer!

The seemingly endless soldiers finally seemed to thin out as we forced our way through more cavaliers. Our bowmen plugged several foes with their arrows and we finally managed to approach the gates of their stronghold…

"I-Impossible! How…"

"Is this the best the Sable Order can muster…?" I gasped, "What a disappointment…"

"Grr… you will not pass! I'll stop you all myself if I have to!" he bellowed as he readied his lance.

My head drifted upwards for a moment, but at that time, I witnessed something…

Palla, Catria, and Est were just above us… and all of them had ridersbane lances on hand…

Looking back down, I smirked at him…

"Actually, no you won't."

"What do you mean?"

I pointed upward…

Palla signaled to her two sisters and cried out, "Now sisters, prepare to strike! TRIANGLE ATTACK!"

All at once, the three pegasus knights swooped down to the commander's position and skewered him on their lances. I winced as the lances pierced right through both him and his mount…

"Well… that's gonna be a closed casket."

I wasn't sure how we were able to survive this skirmish, but at that point I didn't care. It took another hour of travel, but we finally made it to the temple.

Marth asked grandpa, "Malledus, can we really be certain that the Lightsphere and Starsphere are in the Fane of Raman?"

"I don't believe Lord Gotoh would lie to us about this…" he replied, "However, it's said that the temple is guarded by a feared goddess, and that those who defile her sanctuary meet their end in a cloud of flames…"

Nyna seemed fearful at the thought of that…

"Maybe we should reconsider this…"

"No…" I shook my head, "It makes no sense if none are spared a fiery wrath and yet these rumors are abound. If Gotoh says that these orbs are to be found here, then there's no other way. We must go in there and claim them."

Grandpa piped in as I finished, "If you two intend on entering the temple, then only a few should follow you inside. You must let the sleeping dragon lie after all."

Marth nodded, "Sage advice, Malledus. Even if the goddess isn't here, I'd never tear down a holy place like this."

The prince turned to me now…

"Chris? Who do you think should come with us?"

After a few minutes of thought, we settled for allowing a few to come in with us and so we went inside…

XXXXXXXXXX

_Despite the Sable Order's superior numbers, we were able to overpower their forces and breach their defenses. Their supposed unsurpassed might proved to be all talk in the end._

_We took a few moments to decide who should come with Marth and I into the temple. In the end, Sheeda, Gordin, Bantu, Linde, Lena, Navarre, and Julian were selected to accompany us into the temple._

_This temple, constructed by the divine dragons themselves to hold their most priceless treasures, would be the place where a new tale was about to unfold…_

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Marth POV)**

An eerie feeling seemed to come over all of us as we traversed the fane's hallways.

"Let's not waste any time here. We'll just get what we're looking for and leave at once…"

"As you say, sire." Chris nodded, but then asked, "But what do we do if we come under attack?"

"If there's any opposition, you have permission to engage the enemy."

"Right… well, let's make this fast."

However, as we continued moving through the temple …

"Intruders! You will not leave this temple alive!"

Three swordsmen charged at us, so Chris, Gordin, and I took the fight to them. I swiftly dodged one of their swords and thrusted my rapier right through his neck, felling him immediately. Chris was also quick to evade the other two mercenaries, but with two of them attacking at once, it left him no opening to counter. Fortunately, Gordin gave a well-placed shot to the head on one of them and that allowed Chris to safely counter the other's sword swing with one of his own.

"Well, so much for settling this peacefully…" Chris muttered.

"Indeed." I nodded, then turned to our thief, "Julian, if there are any goods to be had, report them to me. You especially need to look for the two orbs we came here for."

"You got it, prince!" he grinned, and he went for one of the many locked rooms in the temple.

Leaving Julian to his work, we all continued down the hallway, only to be accosted by more swordsmen… heroes this time.

"If you value your lives, you'll leave this place at once!" one of them shouted.

I shook my head, "I came here for the two treasures I need! You will not stand in our way!"

Taking this as a challenge, the three heroes charged our direction, but they froze in their steps when Bantu transformed into his fire dragon form. With a massive blast of flames, the three heroes were incinerated in seconds…

"Ah… their not human! I gotta get out of here!"

Hey! There's a thief attempting to get away!

Gordin was able to spot him, however, and he fired a quick shot to one of his legs to hamper his movement. Linde then unleashed a Thunder spell upon the thief, finishing him.

Approaching the thief, I searched his body and wouldn't you know it? He had a bright yellow orb in his bag…

No doubt about it… this was one of the two orbs we've been looking for. It was the Lightsphere…

We continued our trip until we finally reached the temple's final chamber. We were bracing ourselves for what could be a lethal foe…

… except what we found wasn't exactly what we were expecting.

"Huh…?" Chris spoke, "This is the fabled goddess we've all heard about?"

I couldn't believe it either.

On the throne was a young girl, a child really… but her ears seemed to be a tad bit longer than a normal human.

Wait… her eyes… they seem so empty and hollow.

"N-No…" she muttered, "Come… no closer…"

Suddenly, the earth began to rumble as she was enveloped in a bright light… and when the light faded, a massive white dragon stood in our midst!

"Wait! Don't fight that dragon!" Bantu called out as Chris drew his wyrmslayer and everyone else raised their weapons…

"Bantu, you'd better have a good reason for this, cause we're going to get scorched to high heaven if we don't do something!" Chris called back.

"No! Can't you see? That's Tiki! The one I've been looking for!" Bantu replied, then turned to the dragon…

"Tiki! My child! I finally found you at last…"

The dragon stopped moving…

"I… can't… let the defilers… live…"

"Ah… my poor child. You've been put under some evil trance… be at peace, Tiki. Awaken…"

The dragon changed back into the little girl… and this time her eyes were full of life again.

"… Ban… Ban… is that you? What happened?"

"Yes, child, 'tis I. Are you well?"

"What happened…?" Tiki spoke hesitantly, "Where am I…? Ah, I feel as though I just awoke from a nightmare…"

Bantu looked down at her sadly, "I am terribly sorry that this happened to you… and I won't let us be separated anymore. I will protect you from now on…"

"Do you promise, Ban-Ban…? I want you to promise me… I don't want to be alone anymore…"

"I promise, my child…" he replied, and he gave her a firm hug…

Most of us couldn't help but smile as we watched this exchange.

With no further business needed here, we left the temple. Nyna was waiting for us outside…

"Ah, Marth! You're back…" she said, "Were you successful in finding the orbs?"

"Well, I found one of them, but we're still waiting for Julian to come back."

"Hey! Over here, guys!"

We turned back to the temple entrance to see Julian, and he was holding a lot of things in his hand. From what I could see, among the things he had were an Orion's Bolt symbol and an odd whip of sorts…

Wait, that orb he's also holding! It's the Starsphere!

"Prince Marth! Where do you want all of this?"

"Take it to the convoy. I'll sort through it later." I told the thief, and he was on his way…

"No need to worry, Lady Nyna." Chris told her, "We got the orbs we need."

"We must get these orbs to Gotoh so that Starlight can be created… however, before we get to that, there's one other thing that needs to be done."

She looked confused when I said this, so I clarified…

"Grust must be defeated once and for all. If we continue marching south, we'll be exposed from the rear…"

"You… you're going to attack?" Nyna asked.

I nodded, "General Camus will surely be waiting for us there this time…"

"Camus…" Chris muttered, "Supposedly, he's gone under other names such as 'The Sable Commander' and his fighting prowess is also said to be second to none. It's going to be one hell of a fight… but it's the only way to beat Grust for good."

Hm…? Why does Nyna look fearful?

"Are you two certain that we must face them?"

Chris nodded gravely, "We may have handed the Sable Order their hide back in Chiasmere, but if we don't crush Grust's forces at the source, then there won't be anything stopping them from coming back to stand in our way."

Nyna was silent for a moment… but she spoke finally…

"I understand… but I must tell you two something before you begin your assault."

"And that is?" I questioned, but she shook her head.

"I… I cannot tell you yet. There are some things I need to sort out before I can tell you what I must…"

She left the scene, leaving myself and Chris to ponder what she meant by that.

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

Night began to fall at our campsite as I sat near the fire I created…

Tomorrow we would march onward to Grust, and confront what was left of their military. Their greatest general, Camus, would likely be there also.

Were we even ready to take him on? If he was said to be one of the continent's greatest warriors, then would any of us even stand a chance?

I was getting pretty nervous at the prospect of facing him. Heavens only know how long he's been training as a knight…

"Excuse me, lad…"

I nearly jumped out of my skin when a voice came up, but I regained my composure before turning around to see who it was…

Huh? He's here?

To my surprise, it was Lord Hardin of Aurelis that came to speak to me.

"Uhm… Lord Hardin? You need something?"

"Yes… I know we haven't spoken to each other much throughout this quest, but… I must ask you something."

"Um, sure… what is it?"

"Lately, I've been noticing that Princess Nyna has been uneasy since we made landfall onto Grust. I would've asked Prince Marth if he knew anything about it, but he was already asleep when I found him."

"That doesn't explain why you decided to seek me out…"

"Well, seeing that you're the only other person that the princess confides in, I was wondering if you knew something."

Hm… what to do…

"Uh… I'm sorry Lord Hardin, but I honestly don't have any idea why Lady Nyna is acting this way."

It was true. Strange as she was behaving, I really couldn't pinpoint the reason for her acting like this…

"Hm… I see. I'm sorry for inconveniencing you then, Sir Christopher."

"Don't worry about that, Lord Hardin. It was no trouble…"

As the fire died down, I went to my tent to write down everything that had happened up to this point, then went to sleep…

As I closed my eyes, I began to wonder what our chances of victory would be against such a foe…

Guess I'll figure that out in the morning or something.

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER**

_And that's another chapter all said and done._

_For those wondering, Darros is now a Berserker._

_Truth be told, I'm not too fond of this one, but it had to be done to progress the storyline…_

_If you have any commentary or reviews, feel free to submit._

_Until next time, farewell._


	12. The Proud Sable Commander

_**DISCLAIMER: **__Fire Emblem belongs to Nintendo and Intelligent Systems. You know what that means? That's right, I don't own a thing! (Well, aside from the OC…)_

_***REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_**Mattyboy91: **__With any luck, this one won't be such a snorefest… LOL._

_***END REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_Alright now… brace yourself for the next chapter!_

* * *

**CHAPTER 11**

**The Proud Sable Commander**

_Having successfully obtained the orbs we needed from the Fane of Raman, our forces marched onward to the next stop before reaching Gotoh…_

_The Kingdom of Grust._

_As noted in the pages of history, this powerful military nation was founded by one General Ordwin and his battalion of black-armored knights (the precursors to the now infamous Sable Order, actually). With their incredible power, they outmatched and conquered the barbarians that had once occupied the land._

_When all was said and done, the great commander of his squadron ended up becoming the first king of the newly established kingdom, Grust. His peerless courage and leadership would be the main reason that Grust would be recognized as one of the greatest of the continent's seven kingdoms._

_Too bad this kind of leadership couldn't be passed down to the current ruling king of this realm, Ludwik. Being the coward that he was, the empire had no trouble at all in pressuring him into an alliance._

_Of course, given that Grust's forces have suffered extreme losses at our hands, the alliance had proven not to be very effective. Word had it that King Ludwik had even fallen gravely ill upon hearing constant news of his country's losses._

_No doubt about it… win or lose, this once powerful kingdom is going to fall hard after this next battle._

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Camus POV)**

The situation was stacked against us.

The Akaneian League, led by Altea's Prince Marth, had beaten back all of the empire's forces at every turn. The bulk of Grust's military was used to oppose them, but all of them fell before the league's might.

I had no regrets about freeing Princess Nyna from the empire's hold, even as they were furious for my actions. It's only because I led their forces to several victories that I still live now…

And now… all that was left of Grust's forces were stationed back here, and this will more than likely be our final stand… but if that's what it takes to stand up for my country's honor, then I'll lay my life on the line with no hesitation.

"Commander! The league is approaching from the east!"

My second in command, Robert, rode up to me with this news.

"I understand. Did you see anyone of interest in their forces?" I asked him.

"The League is being led by Prince Marth of Altea. I've also confirmed that Princess Nyna of Akaneia is also traveling with him and his friends."

So… the prince kept Princess Nyna safe. Thank goodness…

"I see… thank you for your report." I nodded.

My other two subordinates, Belf and Leiden, rode up from the south.

"Commander, our forces are ready for battle. We have reinforcements stationed in the forts as well if things look dire. Do you have any further orders?" Leiden asked.

I thought carefully before nodding.

"I do… but before that, I must tell you all something…"

I beckoned them a little closer…

"Gentlemen… you three have been with me ever since I became your captain years ago. I want to thank you all for staying at my side for that long amount of time…"

Belf nodded, "And we would gladly do it all over again, captain. But… why do you say this now?"

I took in a breath. This was going to be hard to say…

"My next order as your captain is to fall back once the league reaches this forest."

Undaunted by their widening eyes, I turned toward Robert, "Robert, if I am destined to fall here, the command will be yours."

"But commander!" Leiden protested, "Surely you don't mean to take the entire league on all by yourself?"

Robert also added, "General, we made an oath the day you became our commander. We will not leave you to the fate you're describing."

I shook my head, "I have some personal business to attend to with the prince and one of his soldiers. If I know Prince Marth, he would not resort to dishonest trickery to triumph in this battle. Please… just trust me when I give you this order."

Very reluctantly, they all conceded, with Belf speaking up, "As you command, captain… but please be careful."

I nodded and gestured for them to prepare to fall back, then called out to the rest of my squadron…

"This is for the glorious kingdom of Grust! Let us show the league our true power!"

A deafening war cry was my response. With no further things to add, I hefted my lance and waited…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV, 24 minutes ago)**

It was about another two weeks' worth of travel before we finally managed to get to the center of Grustian territory. During that time, my injuries from Morzas finally healed completely…

Along the way, I noticed that many members of our army were steadily improving as the days went on…

Sheeda's pegasus had matured to the point of growing a horn on its forehead, thus it was now the fastest flying mount in our forces. Sheeda also was attempting to learn swords, so Raddy decided to give her advice on that matter.

Meanwhile, Gordin was improving by leaps and bounds in his archery, though part of me wanted to credit that to Jeorge teaching him a few things about using a bow. Regardless, he was beaming widely as he wore his Orion's Bolt symbol with pride. He even got to use the Parthia as well, that lucky devil!

Cain, Abel, Vyland, and Roshea had invested in ornate armor for themselves and their horses in the meantime. The badges on their armor had certified them as honorary paladins of Altea (Cain and Abel) and Aurelis (Vyland and Roshea). On top of that, all of them decided to try their hand at using axes, so Bord and Cord have been pretty busy showing them the ropes for using axes.

Merric and Linde were progressing very quickly in their sorcery studies. Their potency for offensive spells was now at an astounding level, and now they were beginning the basics for using staves. Of course, they would need to start from the bottom, that being the basic Heal staff…

As for myself and Caesar, we kept building up our strength through training. Now I was pretty confident that I could wield the mighty sword, Mercurius. As Est said, this weapon would surely come in handy by now… and I was pretty sure I was going to need it soon.

It's a good thing we were getting some much-needed improvements… because this next scuffle with Grust was sure to get pretty hairy.

I had gotten to know Tiki a little during our travels. As Bantu said, she was of the Divine Dragon clan, supposedly the most powerful of the dragons to exist…

Aside from that though, she was a cute one… though the fact that she has taken to calling me 'Chrissy' now is just a little bit embarrassing…

'_Of course, it was better than what she's calling Marth now… hah!'_ I grinned at this thought.

After a couple of hours of marching, we finally caught sight of what was left of Grust's forces. Looking through my spyglass, I noted that the field was crawling with several paladins and a few armored knights and generals. A few forts were also present in the area along with a single village…

"All those ridersbane lances and armorslayer swords we stockpiled are really going to come in handy here…" I muttered to myself as I put away my spyglass.

Lord Marth and Lady Nyna were approaching from behind, so I turned to the former…

"Sire, the whole field is waiting for us to strike. I don't see them moving just yet…" I told the prince.

"I see… thank you, Chris." He said, then he turned to grandpa to tell him to think up a plan…

Now I turned to the princess…

"Lady Nyna… isn't there something you want to tell us before we get started with our attack? This may be your only chance to say something…"

She seemed reluctant to speak… but she nodded, "Very well then… as you two wish…"

Nyna took in a deep breath before she began…

"When the empire's forces, which were allied with Grust at the time, conquered Akaneia… the whole royal family was slain, aside from me. On the other hand, I had been put under custody of Grust – or their Sable Order, to be more precise."

I nodded, "I suppose that makes sense. You had to have been a high priority target."

"Yes… and Doluna wished for me to be executed, so that the lineage of House Akaneia would be eradicated. Grust was willing to comply with their request…"

"And yet you stand before us now, telling us all this." Marth cut in.

"Correct… I still live because the captain of the Sable Order came to my defense."

Wait… the captain? Does that mean…

She turned towards me now…

"Christopher… the man you met in Gra… he was that captain. His name… was Camus."

Our eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets when we heard this…

The man who was most likely leading the enemy forces here was the same one who spared Lady Nyna!

Suddenly… it all came together…

Nyna's surprised reaction when I told her my story in Gra…

Her uneasiness when we first came to Chiasmere…

And her fearfulness when we said we would have to come here to finish off Grust's forces…

It all made sense now!

"It was General Camus that saved you?" Marth asked, just as surprised as I was…

"Yes…" she nodded, "He constantly defended me, not even caring if the Dragon of Darkness would bring his wrath down upon him. He was also the one who arranged my escape to Aurelis…"

"Damn… it's no wonder Doluna isn't too fond of him right now." I shook my head, "I'll bet he's only here because of his brilliance as a general…"

Nyna looked down sadly…

"The truth is… I once hated him as well, but… his compassion dampened my hatred of him… and now, I can't bring myself to dislike him any longer."

We both fell silent as we heard this… but it was only a few seconds until I spoke up once again…

"Lady Nyna… you love him, don't you…"

It was more of a statement than a question… but Nyna neither denied nor confirmed what I said.

The princess spoke once more, "I just want to see him one more time… but not if it means that you two must face him…"

Well… this just got severely complicated…

How were we even going to speak to the man? His forces probably won't even let us near him…

"Nyna… we cannot make any guarantees about this… but we'll do whatever we can. I hope you understand…" Marth told the princess.

She nodded, "I do… thank you, Marth… Christopher… I cannot ask for anything further."

Grandpa came up to us next…

"Sire, our forces are ready to march. You need only give the signal…"

"Of course, Malledus…" Marth nodded, then gave a war call…

It was time to strike! Drawing my sword and shield, I fell in with the rest of our forces as we charged ahead to engage Grust for the final time…

Four paladins rode towards us as Draug and Roger readied their lances. As they charged in, Draug thrusted at one of the paladins fatally, knocking him from his horse. Roger had a little bit more trouble as the other three were using hit and run tactics to clip him before he could counter. Fortunately, Barst used his bow to shoot at one of the paladins, slowing him down a little so that Roger could run him through his ridersbane. Ogma leaped forward and sliced into another paladin just before he could raise his lance to attack. Finally, Gordin and Castor fired several arrows until the last paladin was thoroughly perforated…

"Don't let them get to the keep! Crush them here!"

Huh? Uh oh…

A general, who looked to be somewhat elderly (though not as much as my grandfather or commander Jeigan), was the one who made that call. That eye patch over his right eye must mean he's seen several wars…

When he shouted this, a group of armored knights (with a couple of generals also present) started trudging our direction. Ogma drew Mercurius as I took out an armorslayer and we raced in to take them out. I was thankful that their heavy armor slowed them down quick enough for me to slice into one of them. I turned quickly and blocked the other knight's lance thrust with my shield, then thrusted my blade through his metal hide. He fell over without any trouble at all.

Meanwhile, Ogma was making quick work of one general as he used Mercurius to strike a fatal blow right through his armor. The other general was about to come down upon the hero, but he immediately turned and stabbed him, the blade punching right through the general's armor…

It was then that Marth finally caught up with us…

"Sire? Where were you?" I asked him…

"Sorry. I was busy securing a village not too far from here. Apparantly, Sister Lena's grandparents live here, and they gave me a staff that supposedly restores weapons like new again…"

"Huh… interesting."

"Yes, well… Julian decided to give it to her now. How are the enemy forces?"

"We've cleared out most of them-"

The sound of beating hooves quickly alerted us north.

"Seems they had reinforcements waiting…" Marth noted as he drew his rapier.

As more paladins came onto the scene, Gordin raised Parthia up and fired an arrow at them. Amazingly, the arrow pierced through two of them, allowing Marth to race forward and thrust his own blade through a third one. The last two were coming at me, so I tossed a hand axe at one of them, nailing him right in the head. The other one continued to charge at me, so I raised my shield to block his lance thrust. It staggered me a little bit, but I recovered quickly enough to lob another hand axe his way as he turned around to charge again. The axe made contact with his neck, ending him immediately.

We continued our charge westward as the general from earlier came up to me. Before I could draw my weapon, however…

"General Lorenz!"

Huh? Sheeda?

She flew to our position and greeted the general, whom I now concluded had to be this Lorenz she was speaking of…

"This is a battlefield, lass! Why are you-"

Sheeda cut him off, "Forgive me, general. My name is Sheeda and I hail from Talys. My father has actually told me much about you…"

The general must've realized who she was now, and he smiled…

"Oh! Princess Sheeda, it's you!" he exclaimed, "You've certainly become such a beautiful lady since I last saw you. I really should thank Mostyn for being a good friend to me all these years…"

"Yes, well… I must ask you something." The falconknight said, "General, why are you fighting for Doluna? Didn't you oppose your country's alliance with the empire?"

"I did, but… try as I might, I couldn't convince his majesty to refuse their demands. Meek as he was, they proved to be better at negotiating with him than I did…"

I just shook my head here, wondering how Grust could actually last this long under that man's rule…

"What's troubling that young man?" I heard him speak, so I looked up at him.

"Ah, General Lorenz… my name is Chris and I come from Altea." I told him, "Forgive me for sounding cold here, but… how is it that a weak-willed man like King Ludwik was able to keep a nation like Grust up and running?"

"What are you saying?" the general told me.

"Does he not realize that the empire's only interest is to annihilate all of mankind with the power of the manakete horde? We can't let them achieve their objectives…"

"My friend here is correct…" Sheeda nodded, "You don't need to fight in this battle. Please, join us so that we can put a stop to the empire!"

Wait… why is he shaking his head?

"It's not that simple. I've served Grust for nearly 35 years now, so I cannot simply betray my nation like so many others in your forces have. I want to continue honoring my country… and if it means fighting for it until the end, then I'll do it."

I shook my head…

"General… with all due respect, that is a pawn's way of thinking."

"Excuse me?"

"Look… I understand what you mean when you say you can't betray your nation, but your liege was an idiot for believing that anything good would come from an alliance with the empire. What's stopping Doluna from sacking your country if heaven forbid they end up triumphing in the end? If they decide that Grust has outlived its usefulness, then all who live here will surely suffer…"

He looked down gravely at this…

"I'm not saying you have to agree with that line of thought, but just think about it for a while…"

I left them to their own thoughts and ran off with a few others following…

Another general came upon me as I continued onward, but thankfully he didn't last too long, as Gordin fired another Parthia arrow and it punched right through the general's armor… and the general himself. He didn't get back up after falling over.

Now we were heading through a very thick forest. Only our foot-soldiers were able to get through these woods without much trouble. The rest of our forces either had no problems (our flying units) or had a slow time going through the trees (our horse riders).

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Marth POV)**

This forest was awfully thick…

It took about 12 minutes before we finally got to an open area in the forest… and to our surprise, there was someone there waiting for us. In fact… it was the one person we were anticipating would show himself in this battle.

Camus… the captain of the Sable Order.

There were three others with him, two brown-haired cavaliers and a blond horseman. Chris and I approached him slowly.

"I've been waiting for you, Prince Marth." He said, then he noticed Chris had come with me, "And it looks like we meet again, soldier."

So it was true… that man he met back in Gra. He was this man right here… Camus.

"General Camus…" I started, "Please listen… none of us here want to fight you. Nothing good will come from this battle! Don't you realize that?"

He shook his head…

"Whether this battle is meaningless or not means nothing. As long as Grust continues to support Doluna's objectives, I must do my duty as one of Grust's loyal knights. It's too late to for me to turn back now…"

Now Chris spoke up…

"Camus… is this the only purpose you think you have now? To die for a nation that has no bright future ahead of itself? Doluna may very well decide to do away with your homeland if they decide it's outlived its usefulness. Are you just going to sit back and let it happen?"

Chris turned around to see that Princess Nyna was approaching. That seemed to give him an idea…

"And what about Lady Nyna? What is she going to do if you decide to throw your life away like you're about to? She loves you, Camus!"

Taking my cue from Chris, I added, "Ever since we made landfall, she's been extremely concerned for your safety. Please, drop your weapon… if not for this world's future, then for Nyna."

Again, he denied what we told him.

"I told you two already… it's too late for me to change now. I am not going to disobey my crown over an unproven theory that you've provided. As a knight, I am to follow his majesty's orders without question, so there is nothing any of you can do or say to change my mind…"

He looked down at us seriously here…

"Besides… I hold part of the blame for the destruction of your homeland and the deaths of your families. Would you be content with letting a person like that off freely?"

Neither of us could respond. We knew the answer to that question already… we wouldn't.

He then hefted his lance…

"Now draw your weapons and let us end this charade at once." He demanded with finality.

"Camus! No!"

Princess Nyna finally came up here with us. One look at her face showed she was nearly ready to cry…

"Camus… please, you don't have to do this. You gave me back my life… and Marth and his friends gave me back my kingdom."

She tried to stop for a few seconds to regain her composure, which was rapidly falling apart at these circumstances… but to no avail.

"I don't want to see you fight and die…" she sobbed, "Please, Camus… join our cause. We need you, no… I need you!"

Tears rolled down her face as she awaited the commander's answer…

"I… I'm sorry, princess… but I cannot do that…"

This was quite a shock for the princess…

"W-what?" she gasped, "But… Camus, we-"

The Sable Commander cut her off, "If I followed my heart and not my crown, I would do as you asked of me… but a true knight would never abandon his homeland or his liege… especially not in their darkest hour."

He then looked around, noticing most of our forces… specifically those who joined from the opposing side.

"I am not like most of your friends, princess…" he told us, "I would not abandon my nation simply because of whom or what side of the war it supports. What you're essentially asking of me is to cast aside the very principles and ideals I have built up and followed ever since I became a knight. Do you truly believe I can simply throw all of it away as though it meant nothing at all?"

Chris was sorely tempted to rebut the commander's argument… but Nyna wasn't able to say anything to this…

"I have lived my life as a proud knight of Grust, and I have no regrets if it means that my life will end in her service. It is the only path I have ever known… and it's the only road for me now…"

He looked down at Nyna now, and a sad smile crossed his face…

"My princess… for the short time we've been together, you have made me a very happy man… and I will forever remember our time together, even in the afterlife…"

Nyna's sadness seemed to increase tenfold at this…

"Farewell, Princess Nyna… I hope that you may find someone else that can bring joy back into your life."

We shook our heads at this, as Nyna completely lost it and burst into further tears as she covered her face. Hardin came to get her to safety, but she was reluctant to follow…

Chris looked back up at him, "Camus… you knew this was going to happen, didn't you…? That's why you told me that our paths would cross again in the future… is that right?"

Camus only nodded, and again he raised his lance, "Yes… however, as mad as it may be, none of you will leave this area alive. As long as I hold this lance, Gradivus, you have no chance of besting me."

So… that lance was Gradivus, the last of the three regalia!

"Do you still wish to face me, knowing the weapon I hold?"

With a heavy heart, I drew my rapier as Chris asked for Mercurius from Ogma. He looked as I felt right now… neither of us wanted to do this.

"So be it…" he grimly noted, "A pity you two had to waste your lives."

"Speak for yourself, general." Chris retorted, and so I turned to everyone else…

"Everyone, this is our fight now… don't interfere."

"But Prince Marth!" Malledus shouted, "He's too strong for either of you! Let us all attack him at once!"

"No, Malledus… this is something we must do ourselves…" I told him with finality.

"Just trust us, grandpa. We can do this…" Chris added.

Chris then turned to Camus, "If you're so stuck up on honor, then let's settle this like gentlemen. Come down from your horse and only one of us will face you."

"If that is what you wish, Sir Christopher… but it changes nothing. Neither of you have any chance of victory." He told us as he dismounted.

It looked like Chris was trying to see if we could gain an advantage by forcing him to dismount. Most horse-riders didn't fight too well off their mounts, so he must've been trying to see if this applied to Camus as well…

Turning back to the commander, I readied my rapier as he held the Gradivus. Then, we rushed forth at each other, struggling as my sword clashed with his lance…

Camus' fighting potential proved to be as strong as everyone has said, as he managed to overpower me, bat away my rapier, and knock me away with the blunt end of the lance. I was able to recover and leap out of the way of a lance thrust, but when I tried to counter, he simply sidestepped my own attack. Then, his lance managed to clip my left arm, drawing blood as it connected. Gritting through the pain, I quickly sliced twice, managing to penetrate his armor and cut into one of his legs. Camus, despite his leg injury, was still quick to dodge another thrust to his midsection, and he clipped me again, this time on my shoulder.

"Ungh…"

This time, I was able to land a cut on one of his arms. Still, Camus held strong and gritted through the pain. I feinted a slash at his other arm, then attempted a thrust at his chest, but he was quick to see that coming and parried my attack, kicking me to the ground as he did. Before he could continue, I immediately went into a kneeling position and swiped at his legs again, nailing him again. Although his mobility was hampered, he still held strong as I got back up and attempted to swing at his mid section. Spinning the Gradivus, Camus stopped my advance and nailed me on the side of my head with the blunt end of the lance, knocking me back to the ground again. My head was spinning as Camus pointed the deadly weapon right at me…

"Goodbye… Prince Marth."

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

I watched in horror as Camus drove the Gradivus through the prince. The point had gone right through his chest! Even if the hit missed his heart, he'd surely die if I didn't get him help immediately.

"No! Lord Marth!"

I rushed onto the scene as the prince was bleeding heavily. Carefully, I led him to our three healers and barked out orders to get to healing him at once. Sheeda, who was now being followed by General Lorenz, looked on tearfully as she saw Marth groaning in agony from the power of the Gradivus…

I turned back to Camus and drew Mercurius. If he was going to fight with a powerful weapon, then so was I…

"Sir Christopher… why is it that you fight? Do you not believe in standing up for your liege?"

I looked at him…

"I don't fight just because of king and country, Camus. I'm participating in this war because I want to fight for what's right. I'm not going to sit back and let the empire keep its stranglehold on the continent. I will do whatever it takes to crush Doluna's ambitions, and if I have to destroy those allied with the empire, then I will do it."

Camus gave me a look here, "If you're not one to fight out of loyalty to a nation, then why did you take Prince Marth out of the way?"

"It's because he is my friend…" I told him, "I've lost my home and my family to this war, and I'll be damned if I lose more of my friends to it as well. That is why I fight…"

He took a few minutes to comprehend this…

"A noble cause…" Camus nodded, then raised Gradivus once more, "But even so, I cannot agree with the ideals you abide by. I follow my own beliefs, and I will fight to defend them."

"Then let's just see whose beliefs are stronger!" I challenged him, tossing aside my shield and raising Mercurius.

With a quick rush, I swung the mighty sword left, but he was expecting this and blocked accordingly. Knocking aside my sword, he then attempted a slash with the lance, but I backed away to avoid and then attempted a thrust with the sword, which he sidestepped. Facing the commander again, I swung upward, catching the arm that Marth had hit earlier. I could see Camus' face flicker with pain briefly, but he otherwise remained undaunted, as he attempted to stab at me with the Gradivus. Unfortunately, I was too slow to get out of the way, and he nailed my right shoulder…

"Augh!"

Having nailed my shoulder, Camus then attempted a slash at my chest, but I was barely able to raise Mercurius to intercept the attack. As we clashed our weapons, I attempted to kick him to knock him away, but apparently he had the same idea as he lashed out with his own leg and knocked me back also.

"For a young age, you fight well… but it won't be enough to bring you victory."

"I'll go down fighting if I have to, general!"

Twirling the Gradivus, Camus intercepted my downward strike, and bashed my head with the blunt end of the lance. I was reeling a little bit from the hit, but then…

"AAARRRGGGGHHH!"

Unimaginable pain flared through my body as he thrusted the Gradivus through my mid-section. I fell to my knees, struggling to keep holding onto the Mercurius…

"Sorry, Christopher… but your journey is over." he said as he came over to finish me.

As he raised his lance one last time, I tried one final attack… and I thrusted my sword upward…

"No! Commander, look out!" one of the three knights that were with Camus called out to him, but it was too late…

He tensed up as his face contorted in agony.

"I told you… I'd go down fighting." I weakly retorted, blood pooling from my mouth as I said this…

As I pulled the blade from Camus' chest, he fell backward as his blood spread outward from his body. Everything soon went black as the pain began to be too much for me to take…

Before my back hit the ground, I could've sworn I heard someone calling for me as my consciousness faded away…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Linde POV)**

"Chris!" I cried out as he hit the ground. I quickly came over to him as Princess Nyna approached Camus, heartbreak evident in her eyes. As I quickly took out my healing staff to treat the hero's grave wound, I could hear Camus speaking with the princess…

"Nyna… I… I will… miss you…" he coughed out blood as he spoke…

The princess had her head buried in his neck, not even caring if her image would be marred by his blood, "Camus… why…? Don't go… don't leave me… please!"

"I… cannot…" he coughed out, "… good… bye… my… princess…"

His eyes closed, and Nyna broke down in tears, whispering and sobbing her fallen general's name as she did, probably also telling him that she loved him as well. Again, Hardin led her away as the three subordinates that were with Camus took his body. I had done all I could to heal Chris, so I asked them…

"How come you didn't help your commander?"

It was the blond horseman that answered my question…

"It was by his request that he faced Altea's prince and the fallen soldier before you alone. He claimed it was personal business, but I am not at liberty to say what it might've been…"

As he and his colleagues turned to leave, he said one other thing…

"The Gradivus is yours now. Use it how you see fit…"

"Er, thank you… but what about-"

One of the cavaliers cut me off, "The commander does not need an audience for his passing. If your next objective is to get to Medon, you should go as soon as you can."

And before I could press them further, they rode away…

"Nngh… ah…!"

I looked down to see Chris writhing in pain from the wound left by Camus…

"Chris, don't struggle…" I gently told him as Wrys came over to offer his help.

"Hm… this injury looks severe…" he noted, more to himself than to anyone else. With a Recover staff in hand, he poured all of his power into the staff and directed it toward the gash in Chris' mid-section. The hero's writhing of agony stopped as he calmed down and the wound sealed up.

"He needs rest… it will be a few days before he can start fighting again." He told me.

With the battle finished, we took over the keep they were guarding and moved both Marth and Chris there to continue treating their grave injuries.

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Marth POV)**

It was several hours after our hard-earned victory over Grust that I had awoken. Sheeda was sitting at my bedside, her face red from the waves of tears that she had been crying…

"Sheeda, I-"

I couldn't finish my sentence as she wrapped her arms around me in a firm yet gentle embrace. My shoulder was beginning to get wet as she whispered into my ears…

"Marth…" she sobbed, "Thank goodness you're alright… I… I didn't want to lose you. I still don't… not now… not ever."

I couldn't do anything else except return her embrace…

"It's alright, Sheeda… I'm still alive, okay? Please don't cry…"

It was like this for several minutes, but she eventually calmed down and released her arms from me, so I followed suit. As I sat back up, the soreness began to flare up a little, but I pulled through.

"Marth…? Where are you going…?"

Putting my shirt back on, I replied, "I need to speak to Nyna… I owe her an apology."

Her face showed an understanding expression. I didn't need to explain why…

We both left my room, but instead of going to the quarters where Nyna was waiting, Sheeda went to her room just a few rooms away. While I was heading to Nyna's room, Chris had exited one of the doors and was also going to where I was…

"Chris? What are you doing up?"

He weakly chuckled, "Well, I'd ask you the same question, sire. But, if you must know… I need to speak to Lady Nyna… even if she probably wants nothing to do with me now…"

"I see… in that case, let's keep going."

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

After a couple minutes of slow walking, we found Lady Nyna in her current quarters. Her face, ordinarily beautiful, was now marred with red and trails of tears…

I hung my head in guilt when she looked my way. While I normally felt proud of myself after emerging victorious in a grueling battle, I was feeling anything but right now…

"Marth… Christopher…" she breathed.

"Lady Nyna… I… I am so sorry." I muttered sadly.

"We both are, princess…" Marth added, "We failed to re-unite you with your beloved. We failed our promise…"

To our surprise, she shook our head…

"No… it is I who should apologize… for making such a selfish request like I did."

We fell silent and looked back up at Nyna. Struggling to stay strong, she continued…

"The bitter truth is… I always knew that it would lead to this outcome. Ever since I entrusted the Fire Emblem to you, Marth… I knew that this was what was going to happen."

She bit her lip slightly as she continued on…

"Have you two ever heard the story of the Curse of Artemis?"

Curse of Artemis? What was this…?

We shook our heads…

"When the Fire Emblem is passed on to others to restore Akaneia, a price must be paid. The great Altean hero, Anri, had someone who loved him dearly… a princess named Artemis, and he loved her in return with equal passion. But… after the Dark Dragon, Medeus, appeared to destroy all of mankind, they were forced to part ways… forever."

Wow… this… this was a pretty sad tale.

"That is why Artemis had cursed the Fire Emblem. It may have been the end of war, as she had put it, but it was also the end of love… for she had to lose the one she loved with all her heart. That was the price she paid to entrust the Fire Emblem to another…"

She shook slightly as she finished…

"And now that the emblem has been passed on once more, I am the one bearing this curse…"

Whatever fortitude Nyna was demonstrating earlier was now lost as she concluded her tale. Once again, new tears began to well up from her eyes as though they had been wrought from a stone. Shutting her eyes, she smiled sadly…

"Ah… I must look pitiful for falling apart so quickly… you two had suffered so much from this war when you lost your loved ones and when your homes were ravaged… yet I… I can never be as strong as you two are…"

Marth and I exchanged glances when she said this… she was certainly taking this very hard. We honestly couldn't blame her…

"Please… just let me be alone for a while." She sobbed, "It is too much for me to bear… and I must confront my feelings on this…"

"You need not say anything else, Princess Nyna." Marth told her gently, "We'll take our leave at once…"

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to call us… milady." I added, "We're here for you now…"

"Thank you… both of you."

We silently left her room… and once we shut the door, I could briefly make out the muffled sounds of anguish from her room…

"Camus… no… I loved… nly y… br… me happ… ess…"

With nothing else left to do, I went back to my room, writing down all that we did during this battle. Although I had tried to go to sleep that night, I was unable to get any rest…

Camus… he was willing to die for his country, even knowing the sinister things that it was supporting with its alliance to Doluna. I disagreed with his unwavering sense of loyalty to his nation, as to me it amounted to nothing more than reducing one's role to that of some useless pawn.

I wholeheartedly wished that we could've met under entirely different circumstances. Circumstances that didn't require us to be opponents on the battlefield…

I also felt sorrow for Lady Nyna, as she had gone through a lot of pain in this brutal war. First, her kingdom had been ravaged, then her family was massacred, and now her beloved had been slain in battle… by my hand no less.

I had a feeling this would heavily strain my friendship with the supposedly 'cursed' princess. It'd probably be a long time before I can speak to her again… if ever.

A crescent moon was the last thing I saw before I finally shut my eyes…

This battle was truly a test of conflicting ideals… a trial of opposing beliefs… and a clash of two virtues…

But while our side was victorious… a grueling question still plagued me in my dreams…

Was it really worth it in the end?

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER**

_Thus another chapter (and it was a real doozy) comes to a close._

_Lots of promotions here, but I'm sure you know who became what. =P_

_Sorry if this chapter's a bit on the long side, but it IS a critical plot point in Book 1, so I wanted my rendition of the corresponding chapter to look as good as I could make it out to be. Whether or not I did alright in that sense is up to you to decide._

_Oh, and for those that don't know, Camus' three lackeys are from the game "Fire Emblem: Akaneian Saga" (the fourth map to be precise). Since they appear in the remake, FE12, I decided they should also have an appearance in Book 1 too… so yeah._

_As usual, if you have any commentary or reviews, I'll be listening._

_Until next time, farewell._


	13. Sky Riders of Medon

_**DISCLAIMER: **__If Fire Emblem belonged to me and not Nintendo and Intelligent Systems, then the series would go down faster than a flying unit shot by an arrow. That's why I only own the OC._

_***REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_**MattyBoy91: **__If paladins used axes along with swords and lances like in FE6 and 7, I'd use them far more often. And staves can be powerful tools in the right hands. =P_

_***END REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_Once again, another chapter starts… now!_

* * *

**CHAPTER 12**

**Sky-Riders of Medon**

_With Grust finally out of our hair, and the bittersweet reward of the Gradivus now in our hands, we spent the next couple of weeks traveling to Medon, where the great White Sage himself was waiting for us._

_As the birthplace of Minerva and Maria, this nation was once a quiet, prosperous realm made famous for the pegasi, wyverns, and the riders of said beasts that inhabit the kingdom._

_Unfortunately, Prince Michalis, the two sisters' elder brother, decided to ally himself and his nation with Doluna, in spite of the fierce opposition he received. With his powerful squadron, the Dragoons, he brought down many nations in the name of the empire._

_Now we're drawing closer to Medon's castle, where Michalis' forces were waiting for us to approach so that they could pick us off in one final stand._

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Michalis POV)**

"All troops hold your positions. I have some business I must take care of…"

"As you command, your majesty…"

Finishing my briefing to my men, I flew onward to a secluded village, where the White Sage was currently hiding.

As I flew onward, I thought about all that had happened since my alliance with Doluna…

Why didn't my father understand? Akaneia wasn't going to help us if he continued to oppose the Shadow Dragon's forces…

Now that I had taken the throne, I'll do what I must to keep Medon alive and well. As king… I'll end that fool of a prince myself. The Akaneian League will rue the day they opposed me and my Dragoons! Whatever it takes, I will make Medon the true leader of this continent!

The village eventually came into view and so I landed near the gates. Although the village was barricaded, I noticed that Lord Gotoh was still present…

"Lord Gotoh, the League will soon be approaching. You should get away from this area soon, before the fighting erupts here…"

To my surprise, he shook his head…

"Michalis, why do you continue this foolishness?"

"Foolishness? What are you speaking of?" I asked in a mix of confusion and agitation…

"You once loved your sister Minerva, and yet now you're on opposing sides." Gotoh began, "If you had simply come to an understanding with her and worked together, Medon would've become a great and powerful nation that would rival even Akaneia…"

He then looked at me with disappointment…

"Yet you allowed yourself to be deceived by Gharnef and allowed your ambition to consume you. Now your family and your kingdom are facing certain destruction because of your actions."

What? How did he know about this? Agh…

I shook my head, "What's done is done, Lord Gotoh. I know that my father's death will forever be on my hands, just as Minerva's betrayal of her brother and country will be on hers…"

At this, I clenched my fists around my lance.

"But Medon has not lost yet. With the kingdom's prized treasure, Iote's Shield, in my hands, I will not need to fear any arrows that would try to shoot me down."

"And should you actually triumph here?"

"I'll notify you if I win." I replied, "But now as king of Medon, I will do everything in my power to destroy that Altean whelp of a prince. You can at least be assured of that."

"I see… then I've nothing further to say. Go and punish yourself, Michalis… for the murder of your father."

I simply turned and flew back to my forces at this…

I'll prove Gotoh wrong… Medon will be victorious here, and Prince Marth will not stand in my way!

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV, 18 minutes ago)**

It had been several days since we triumphed over Grust for the final time. I couldn't bring myself to speak to Nyna since that battle… and even if I could, there really wasn't anything else I could say now.

Although grandpa had sent a message minutes ago to Prince Michalis to lay down his arms, we had yet to receive any reply. I noticed Minerva shake her head at this…

"Foolish…" I heard her mutter.

Swallowing the slight fear I had of her and her wyvern, I approached her…

"Something bothering you, Lady Minerva?"

She looked at me with mild surprise…

"So, you've actually decided to speak to me now, when you've always avoided me before? What changed, Christopher?"

"Well… a lot of things, I guess. You're still on our side, so I guess I needed to man up eventually." I shrugged my shoulders, "But what did you mean when you uttered that word?"

"It's my brother…" she said, "I know him well. He would never back down from a battle, so convincing him to surrender is a fool's errand…"

As she closed her eyes in disappointment, I decided to continue asking her…

"Listen… don't think for one second that I doubt your power, but… are you really sure you want to join this fight? You ARE going to be facing your own countrymen, after all…"

"Christopher… I would never have offered my axe to your liege if I had reservations about fighting them."

"Uhm… I would've thought-" I was about to say, but she cut me off.

"You misunderstand. Do you believe I wish to spare my brother and former vassals, and forgive them for seeing things differently?"

My expression turned to one of surprise…

"Wait… you don't?"

"Honestly, I wish it was as simple as you're making it out to be, but that is simply not possible here." She told me, "History should remember that when Medon was led astray, it was a Medonian who set things right."

"Even at the cost of your brother's life?" I replied.

She looked off in the direction of the castle…

"Ever since I was a little girl, I had always looked up to Michalis… reading what he read… observing his training and following his examples. He was my hero… someone I had always aspired to be like."

"Do you still love him, even after all the chaos he's caused for Doluna?" I pressed further.

She slowly nodded, "Yes… even now part of me still does. I love him enough to spare him death by another's hands. Do you understand now…?"

I looked down as she said this…

Minerva's family had gone through a lot of trouble since Michalis took over. If this is the only way to rectify everything, then I guess that's that…

"I suppose so…" I finally responded, "If we should run into Michalis, he is yours to face. Just be careful out there… I'm sure he must be powerful."

"Perhaps so, but we will see which one of us will triumph in this battle."

I nodded and returned to Marth and my grandfather's side. With my spyglass out, I scouted the pass ahead…

Woah! Several pegasus knights and dracoknights are coming this way!

"They're coming, grandpa! Several fliers from the north!" I called out.

"They've begun their assault…" grandpa noted, then called to the army, "All archers, open fire when they draw near! Jake and Beck, provide them support!"

While all our bowmen readied their weapons, I took out my shield and Mercurius, ready to face Medon's ground forces. As usual, Draug, Roger, and Macellan formed a phalanx to block the paladins' advance. It was left to us swordsmen to take out those that attempted to break through. The possibility of that wasn't likely however, as Draug was the one wielding the Gradivus…

"Here they come!"

Many paladins charged our way as the skies filled with enemy pegasi and wyverns! On cue, we let fly with our arrows to bring down the sky-riders. The paladins riding in with their lances clashed with the knights' own weapons, but with the Gradivus and two ridersbanes on our side, the horse riders went down hard as our lances ran them all through. Several javelins and riders fell to the earth as our archers plugged the opposition full of arrows. With success coming easily for us, we pressed onward to the north, intent on circling around the mountain where Medon's stronghold rested.

We kept pushing the Dragoon forces back as we got to the stairway leading to the keep itself. But then… a male crimson-haired dracoknight flew before us…

"You there!" I shouted, "Are you the commander of these forces?"

"That I am, boy…" he nodded, "I am Michalis, king of Medon. I must commend you all for making it up to this point…"

He leveled a glare at us…

"But don't think you've won just yet! My Dragoons still rule these skies, and we will crush you all!"

He noticed that Prince Marth had also come with us up front…

"So… you're that whelp of a prince leading this league. Well, not for long! By my crown, I will end your pathetic life right here and now!"

"Don't bet on that happening, you worm!" I retorted, and signaled for our archers to shoot him down…

Wait… what's going on? Why are all the arrows bouncing right off him?

"You stupid fool… your arrows are useless against me! Now face your fate along with your pathetic prince!"

Suddenly, before he could fly in with his lance, another wyvern flew in front of us before Marth and I could react…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Minerva POV)**

Michalis stopped his attack as soon as I flew in front of Prince Marth and Sir Christopher. If anyone was going to bring him down, it was going to be me…

"Your feud is with me, brother. Leave them out of this."

At this, he gave a signal down below, and flew upward…

"You saw your highness' command! Everyone strike them down now!"

From the forts in front of the keep, several reinforcements emerged ready to face our own army. I followed my brother up in the air, leaving everyone else to face the enemy reinforcements…

"So you finally came home, Minerva." Michalis noted, "I've missed you dearly, sister… but you are my enemy now, so I will not hold back."

I couldn't say anything… what could I tell him?

"Well? Aren't you going to fight? I've told you several times before that hesitation invites death. Have you forgotten already?"

"Michalis…" I began, "Must we do this? Will you not lay down your lance and follow the right path?"

He chuckled cynically, "Don't be a fool, sister. This talk of following what's right? That is a naïve line of thought that only brings death. We walk our own paths now, and they will never intersect."

If Christopher had heard this from my brother, he'd surely be fit to be tied…

"Now enough banter… let us embrace for the final time!"

So… this was what it came down to.

"So be it, brother!"

It was only us now, facing off further away from everyone else. No outside interference would interrupt our personal dispute…

I made the first move, swooping down with Hauteclere to slice into him, but he was faster in reacting, and evaded my axe. I had to swerve to the side to dodge the javelin he tossed at my direction. As I flew in from above once more to take another swing at him, he soared sideways once again to avoid me, forcing me to turn quickly to face him once again. Michalis then came down with his lance pointed at me, so I immediately tossed a hand axe in his direction. The axe managed to clip the arm he was holding his lance in, so he faltered and missed me, allowing me to swing Hauteclere into him. The axe nailed Michalis on his shoulder, and now he was having trouble keeping steady on his wyvern…

"Ungh… you've improved quite a bit, Minerva… but I'm not done yet!"

With his good arm, he tossed another javelin in my direction, and it managed to clip my side before I could move out of the way. Although I was shaken, I once again dove in with my axe to attack. This time, I was successful in hitting him on his back, as he was still unsteady on his mount. Michalis, now bleeding heavily, attempted one more thrust from his lance, but I parried his attack, and slammed my axe into him one last time, sending him plummeting from his wyvern. He hit the ground with a painful impact…

As I landed, I noticed that the last of my brother's reinforcements were brought down. As I approached Michalis, he said only a few more words…

"Agh… I… I am… done for. Forgive me… my people…"

He shut his eyes after his fall.

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

As I sheathed my sword, I noticed Minerva looking down at the fallen body of Michalis, her brother…

"Lady Minerva… I don't know what to say…"

She shook her head…

"There's nothing left to say, Christopher. It was just as he told me… there were only two paths that we followed, and they were never destined to cross."

I shook my head as I heard this… ambition has a nasty habit of blinding people's judgement. This man's fate here was proof of that.

Looking at Michalis' body once again, I noticed a strange looking badge that he was wearing.

Guess he won't be needing it now… but what was it?

"Er, Lady Minerva? What is this thing?" I asked her as I showed the badge.

"Ah… that is Medon's greatest treasure, Iote's Shield." She answered, "This special badge has a mystic power… one designed to repel any arrows that should be fired at a flyer."

Gee… no wonder Michalis didn't get filled full of arrows when we shot at him…

I think I'll give it to Sheeda later…

With no further opposition in the area, we secured the keep and decided to take a rest there.

**(4 HOURS LATER)**

As I stepped into the foyer, I noticed Marth looking disappointed about something…

"Sire? Is something wrong?"

"Oh, Chris…" he noticed, "I was just thinking about this battle…"

He opened his eyes…

"First General Camus of Grust… and now Prince Michalis of Medon… those two had so much potential to lead illustrious lives…"

"Yeah…" I nodded, "But in the end, it was blind loyalty and blind ambition that led to their destruction…"

"Yes… but for Michalis, Gharnef exploited his weakness once he discovered it. Unless we stop that fiend, this cycle of misery will never stop…"

Grandpa came in as Marth finished…

"Indeed, but we do not know where Thabes is still." He said, "Only Gotoh may know where the place is…"

"You're right…" I replied, "Not to mention we still need to give him these orbs. We go in there without that magic he told us about, and we'll just get our hides handed to us."

"Ah… of course." Marth noted, "Gharnef has Imhullu, so this will be a challenging struggle… but no matter what, he must be brought down. This world was much more beautiful before he had painted it with the blood of his victims…"

"Then we should get some rest before we go see the White Sage. We'll need to be at our best if we're to face Gharnef…" grandpa told us.

That would brook no arguments from either of us, so we made our way to our quarters and turned in for the night.

However, just as I was approaching my door, I noticed Linde was outside on one of the northern balconies of the keep, a wistful look evident on her face as she looked out at the horizon…

Hm…

I approached the sage carefully…

"Linde?"

She turned to me, worry evident in her eyes.

"Chris… tomorrow is the day isn't it…? When we go to Thabes to finally face Gharnef…"

I could only nod… "Yes… and only the spell Starlight can take him out. I've already told everyone that you should be the one to wield it, so don't worry about anyone objecting…"

"It's not that I'm worried about…" she told me, "It's just… I wonder if I've the power to face him when the time comes. My father was the greatest magician I had ever known, aside from Lord Gotoh… and Gharnef slew him easily…"

I grabbed her shoulder gently, hoping no one else was around…

"Linde… didn't you once tell me not to doubt myself when I had to face that dragon? Your words gave me the courage to face that beast… and I ended up victorious in the end."

She slowly nodded…

"You've improved by leaps and bounds ever since you joined our company. I have no doubts that you'll be more than a match for that dark sorcerer."

She looked down… and a small smile came to her face…

"You… you're right… I can do this."

"Of course, I know you can." I replied.

"I… I guess we should rest now before we go see Gotoh…" She nodded… then I remembered my hand was still on her shoulder, so I immediately released her. Linde turned to see my blushing face…

"Chris…? Is there a problem?"

"Er… no… let's just get some sleep." I quickly replied…

That was a close one…

Once we came to our own quarters, we went inside. I proceeded to write down everything that had happened, and what tactics to try and encourage for the future…

As all was said and done, I made my way to my bed and took a nice long sleep, anxious to meet the White Sage in person…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(NEXT MORNING)**

Morning seemed to come quickly…

Having gathered all my weapons and other belongings, I followed Marth and everyone else outside…

"Guess it's time to go see the sage, huh?" I asked the prince.

"Yes… the locals claim he's in a village north of this keep. Do you have the orbs?"

"Yeah, right here." I answered as I held out the two shining orbs.

With no delay, we trekked to the village. It took a little bit of searching, but we eventually found Gotoh waiting for us inside one of the houses isolated from the rest of the village.

Must not be the social type…

Marth went inside first, and so Gotoh greeted him.

"Greetings, Lord Marth. I assume you've come for the Starlight magic?"

"I have, yes. Here are the orbs you need." He replied as I handed the sage the orbs.

"Excellent work! Now just wait a moment, and I will create the spell…"

With an open blank book in front of him, he put the two orbs on either side of the tome and placed both hands above all three items, muttering some kind of incantation…

To our amazement, bright energy began to emanate from both orbs and pour into the book! Some kind of glowing arcane writing began to materialize in the pages of said book as the energy from the two orbs supplied power to the book. After a few minutes, the energy from the orbs stopped flowing and the writing in the book stopped glowing.

"There… the process is complete." Gotoh told us, "This is Starlight, the only magic capable of rending Imuhullu's dark cloak. Take this magic and use it to destroy Gharnef… for good."

"Right… thank you, White Sage." Marth nodded, taking the tome, "However, there's just one other question I need answered."

"Ah… you must want to know the location of Thabes, correct?"

Surprised, we both nodded dumbfounded…

"Thabes… it is located far to the north of Khadein, in the heart of the Marmotord Desert to be precise. However, it is an illusion city, and those that have gone there have never returned…"

Pretty foreboding…

"Gather your forces here in this village. I can use my magic to warp you all to the temple where Gharnef is waiting."

We both looked at each other and nodded…

After several minutes, all of our forces had gathered in the village square. Gotoh had only a few things to say to us before he began to use his powers…

"Gharnef is a dangerous threat, Lord Marth. You and your friends must take caution when you face him…"

"Rest assured, Lord Gotoh…" the prince responded, "We will defeat him, take back the Falchion, and rescue my sister, Elice."

"Then there's nothing more that needs to be said." Gotoh noted, "Farewell, brave souls. I wish all of you the best of luck…"

With a Warp staff in hand, he raised it up high and…

Ah! A magic circle! It's surrounding all of us!

A bright light was the last thing I saw before everything faded to white…

Gharnef… make peace with whatever deity you worship. We're coming for you now…

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER**

_And so concludes another chapter…_

_If there are any reviews or commentary you have to say, I'll be waiting._

_Until next time, farewell._


	14. Gharnef: Pontifex of Evil

_**DISCLAIMER: **__Fire Emblem is not mine! It belongs to Nintendo and Intelligent Systems! All I have to my name is my OC!_

_***REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_**MattyBoy91:**__ Hm… you're right. I need to fix this somehow…_

_***END REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_Time to get another chapter up and running!_

* * *

**CHAPTER 13**

**Gharnef: Pontifex of Evil**

_With the power of Gotoh's Warp magic, we soon found ourselves teleported right into the distant city of Thabes._

_Very little is known about this old, deserted ruin…_

_The only thing that history textbooks cover about this city was that it was once a prosperous advanced civilization, and even then these claims had only received prominent coverage by word of mouth, so the truthfulness of these claims are somewhat a matter of debate…_

_Now however, this desolate realm had no sign of life to be had… save for the evil forces waiting for us in the massive temple situated in the city's square…_

_After several minutes of preparation, we were at the entrance of said temple, where Gharnef was supposedly holed up in. The time had come for us now…_

_It was time to take back the Falchion from Gharnef and rescue Princess Elice, Marth's sister, from this evil foe._

XXXXXXXXXX

After preparing our weapons for what would surely be a trying battle, we all went inside the temple. A chill ran down my spine as I looked around… I really didn't want to stick around here longer than I needed to.

I could barely see in front of me when I looked around the halls of this ruined temple. I would've brought a torch if I had known that this is what we were going to have to deal with…

"Everyone, keep your wits about you." Grandpa told us, "He's sure to have his own forces waiting for us…"

"Understood, Malledus." Marth nodded, "Gah… such darkness. This could very well be Gharnef's doing."

Suddenly… a sinister chuckle broke the deathly silence in this place.

"_**So… you and your pathetic friends have finally come to play, little prince?"**_

Immediately, I drew my sword…

"Who's there!" I shouted out, "Show yourself!"

A familiar cloud of dark smoke rose up before us, and when it dissipated… our sworn enemy, Gharnef, was facing us.

"Heh heh heh! Welcome, my unwittingly useful pawns. I've been waiting for a very long time…"

"What did you call us pawns for?" Marth demanded.

"It's quite simple, boy…" the sorcerer gloated, "You and your men have saved me the trouble of wandering the continent, collecting the three regalia, and killing off my competition."

He then gave an evil smirk…

"Thanks to your efforts, those fools Camus and Michalis will bother me no longer!"

The grip on my sword tightened to the point that my knuckles were quickly turning white…

"You… you twisted bastard!" I shouted, "So that was your plan all along!"

This only amused the sorcerer even more…

"Indeed it was… and now that I have Imhullu and the Falchion in my possession, not even the infamous Shadow Dragon can oppose me! My plan… it's foolproof!"

I glared hatefully at the sorcerer. Death was too good for this monster…

"Now, now, no need to spoil this moment, little wretch…" he smirked again, "You all still have one more thing you must do for me… and that is to die!"

"Actually…" Marth growled as he drew his rapier, "We have other things in mind, sorcerer."

Gharnef must not even realize what we had in our possession, as this didn't even faze him…

"Brave words, prince… but you're all no match for my power."

He raised his hands… and several pillars of smoke erupted from the ground around him!

"If you're going to make good on your threat, then you will have to find me first!"

"Gr… what the hell are you talking about, you black-hearted maniac!" I demanded, but I quickly got my answer when his hands lowered…

When the smoke cleared, there were several sorcerers surrounding the evil pontifex…

What the… they're all… they all look like Gharnef himself!

One of the Gharnefs, just as arrogant as the original, smirked maniacally once again when he saw our bewildered expressions… and all of them disappeared in a plume of smoke, leaving no trace of their presence. His voice echoed through the halls…

"_**Ha ha ha… you fools will only be striking at air now! If you want to take back your holy sword of light, then you must find the true me!"**_

"To arms, everyone!" Marth called out, and so we charged through the halls of the ruined temple, hoping to weed out the true Gharnef from the false ones…

As we were traversing the halls, we were faced with several mages loyal to the evil sorcerer. Even a few snipers, heroes, and a general were wandering the place for intruders… but if we were going to eliminate Gharnef, all of them would have to go down.

Barst, Ogma, and I started off by going after the general. I softened him up with a few thrown hand axes, some bouncing off his armor, others sticking themselves into the armor. Ogma then rushed in with an armorslayer, cleaving through the metal plates and cutting into flesh. Barst finished the job with a mighty swing of his hammer, making contact with the general's skull. With a heavy thud, the general fell face down, dead to the world…

Navarre and Radd were also fighting, as they matched blades with a couple of heroes in the area. Although these heroes had better strength on their side, they were too slow to strike at either of the swordmasters. Several swift sword attacks later, the heroes fell to their might.

Gordin, Jeorge, and Norne had their bows drawn as many mages stormed through the halls. Spells and arrows were exchanged, but the snipers were all successful in the end. Many arrows to the head have a way of cutting a life short, it seemed…

Wait a minute… that sorcerer approaching… it's Gharnef!

"So, you honestly believe that you have a chance? Well then, allow me to prove you wrong!"

I readied my weapon as he raised his hands…

Hold on… his book is open… but there's no dark aura like there was last time…

A hole formed in front of the sorcerer, and demonic spirits emerged and rushed toward me. I had to move quickly to evade the attack, and I instinctively threw a hand axe at him.

What? The axe… it connected! Gharnef slumped to the floor and disappeared in a cloud of black smoke…

"So… it was a fake one…" I noted, then I came to this conclusion…

Any Gharnef that doesn't have a dark aura surrounding him must not be the real thing. I needed to tell them!

"Guys! Avoid the Gharnef with the dark aura! If you see him, get away immediately!"

All of them nodded when they heard me. Barst, Linde, and I continued up the spiraling stairway, with everyone else following behind us. It would be several minutes before we all made it to the top…

"Get them!"

Three more Gharnefs were waiting for us at the top, and all of them had their tomes open… but again, there was no aura surrounding any of them.

"Geez… why doesn't this guy come out and face us himself?" I grumbled as I race over and slashed into one of the Gharnefs, slicing right through him. Linde countered another false Imhullu with a blast of Aura, obliterating another fake. Ogma finished off the last of the three fakes with one swift thrust to the chest. He never got back up after that…

When the plumes of smoke finally dissipated from the fake Gharnefs, I turned to Linde…

"Well… it's up to you now, Linde. Good luck…"

"Thanks Chris… I'll be sure to end him!" she nodded, and so she moved onto the final chamber, where the true Gharnef was waiting…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Linde POV)**

With the Starlight magic in hand, I proceeded into the last remaining chamber… and Gharnef was waiting at the throne…

"Well, well… so you've finally come to die, little girl?" the evil sorcerer smirked. Gritting my teeth, I answered back…

"Don't get overconfident, Gharnef! I will avenge my father by destroying you right here and now!"

He only shook his head as he opened his tome. The sinister black aura from before surrounded him as he rose from the throne…

"You poor, pathetic little vermin… you still believe you can defeat me? The power of Imhullu will be the last thing you ever see!"

He raised his hands and conjured a black hole above him…

"Prepare to join your father on the other side!"

Again, several spirits from the underworld emerged from the hole above Gharnef. As they circled around me, I immediately took out the recently created tome, Starlight. Opening the book, I muttered the incantation and raised my hand…

What is this…?

Several bright sparkling stars erupted from my hand… and they're disintegrating the evil spirits!

"What…? That… that's Starlight! How did you…"

Gharnef was clearly caught off guard when he saw the spell I had just casted…

"That's for me to know… and you to never find out!"

"Nngh… don't think you've beaten me yet, girl!"

Again, he raised his hands, conjuring yet another wormhole above him, so I immediately raised my own hand, forming bright stars above me.

Evil apparitions emerged once more from the hole, so I directed the smaller stars to destroy them, while the largest star was sent careening towards Gharnef himself! The dark aura surrounding Gharnef was shredded completely as the powerful blast of Starlight slammed into him, and he let out a raspy scream of agony. The sorcerer shook it off quickly however and conjured yet another wormhole, with evil spirits rushing out once again to attack. I immediately raised my hands again, sending blasts of Starlight at Gharnef and his own Imhullu attack. The stars I released destroyed the spirits and the wormhole, and sent the evil sorcerer reeling once again…

I approached him as he was on his back, barely breathing…

"Nngh… accursed Starlight… damned Gotoh…!"

"It's over Gharnef… you've lost." I coldly told him.

"Don't get… smug… wretched girl." The sorcerer coughed out, "Your power, though impressive… will not… be enough to… bring down the… Shadow Dragon! I'll be waiting… in the fiery… pits of Hell… for all of you!"

He finished with a weak, raspy laugh before his body went limp.

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

I entered the room, just as Gharnef breathed his last. He wasn't moving at all…

"I've done it, father… your death has been avenged." I heard Linde mutter as Marth and company followed me inside.

"Great job, Linde…" I told her quietly, "I knew you had it in you!"

She nodded, smiling as she did.

I then approached the sorcerer's body and searched it…

Hm…?

This is odd… he's got some kind of black orb in his possessions…

Nngh… I'd better ignore it. Who knows what kind of dark magic that sorcerer might've put on it…

Hey… this is… this is it! It's the divine sword of light, Falchion!

"Sire! Look here!" I called him over to give him the sword… HIS sword.

"The Falchion!" Marth exclaimed, "At last… it's in our possession now."

As he put the weapon at his side, he looked around once again…

"But… where's my sister? She was supposed to be here too."

Another voice caught our attention… it was Abel.

"Prince Marth!" the green paladin called, "We just released Princess Elice from her dungeon cell! She'll be here any second now!"

After a few seconds of waiting, a blue-haired maiden who was a bit taller than Marth, and probably somewhere in her mid-twenties, emerged from a door behind the throne…

No doubt about it… this was Elice, Marth's elder sister.

I stayed out of sight from her as she approached Marth…

"Marth! I've missed you dearly, brother…" she told him, "You've grown into a strong man… Father would be very proud."

"Thank goodness you're alright, sister…" he replied, "After I heard the castle fell and you were taken by Gharnef… I feared the worst had happened to you…"

Elice looked down, "Yes… I was prepared for it, if it meant that you would live on… but Gharnef decided to keep me alive."

"But why? What could Gharnef hope to get out of sparing you?" Marth asked confusedly…

"He wanted me alive so that he could gain access to the Aum Staff. Have you heard of it?"

Marth nodded, "Yes… it's a staff that holds the power to bring the dead back to life, but wasn't it lost as the time went on?"

She shook her head, and to our surprise, took out said staff!

"Gharnef… he found it in the Resurrectory."

Still in shock, Marth asked, "But what was it doing in a Dolunian temple?"

"I cannot say, Marth. All that I know is that Gharnef wanted me alive so that I could use it, as the staff's power can only be harnessed by women of a royal lineage."

"I see…"

"Prince Marth!" I then heard Cain call out, "Lord Gotoh is outside, he wants to talk to you!"

"I understand. Thank you, Cain."

With nothing left to do in this tower, we came back outside and we were greeted with the familiar sage from before…

"Ah… so you and your friends successfully recovered the Falchion and rescued Elice. Excellent work, Prince Marth!"

The prince nodded, "It was a hard-fought struggle, but Gharnef is no more now…"

"Yes… so now you have one final objective. Your destination now is Doluna, but before you go to destroy the Shadow Dragon, you must re-arm back at Medon. I will send you all back now…"

He raised his hands, and a bright light just like before was the last thing all of us saw…

XXXXXXXXXX

Woah… that was a rush!

When the light cleared, we were now back in Medon's keep. It's a good thing too, as we had to recuperate and re-arm before we launch our final assault on the empire. Thankfully, Doluna was also just north of Medon, so travel wouldn't be that big an issue…

I was in the foyer of the stronghold, reading what many called a Secret Book. It had several details about how best to handle a weapon and tricks one could use to outwit and defeat one's opponents.

Suddenly, footsteps alerted me from my concentration.

"Christopher? Is that you?"

One look from the manual told me that it was Elice. She seemed pretty surprised to see me here with everyone…

"Er… greetings, Lady Elice. It's good to see you're alright now."

She nodded, "Yes… I had just seen Malledus and I thanked him for looking after my brother, but he had told me that he didn't do it alone… that his grandson also had a hand in looking after him."

"Well… I guess you could say that. I don't really think I did much…" I scratched my head.

"Regardless of all of that, I must thank you…" she told me, "… for looking after him in these trying times."

"You've no need to thank me, Lady Elice. I was just doing my part in this long mission… and thank goodness it's nearing an end…"

"I agree, but… what will come next for you?"

Hm? What did she mean by that? I asked as such…

"What will you do when this war ends?"

Huh…

What WAS I going to do?

"Well… I do plan on rebuilding my village when this is all over, but after that, I really don't know…"

"You know…" she started, "I have heard from Jeigan that Altea's forces will need new recruits for the future. Perhaps you might be interested?"

"I… I'll think about it, but would I really be cut out for more of this?"

"I'm sure you'd make a great soldier, Christopher." Elice smiled, "Heavens know you have the experience at least."

Well, she had me there…

"Alright… how about this then…" I offered, "After my village is restored, I'll send word regarding my decision. Will that do, Lady Elice?"

"That would be perfect." She nodded.

"Great…"

Having finished my book, I put it back in my bag and decided to head for my quarters for the night. Bidding the princess a good night, I shut my door and wrote down all that had gone on since my last entry. I then went to sleep to rest up for what would be our biggest challenge yet…

Amazing… to think that all of us have made it this far now.

We're just days away from Doluna now, and we must do whatever it takes to triumph over the evil that inhabits that realm.

All I knew for sure was that history will be made in this, the final chapter in this long, agonizing war…

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER**

_That's about it for this chapter._

_Sorry about the long wait, everyone. Life is just not going so well at the moment… so updates may be a bit on the slow side._

_In any case, if you've any reviews and/or commentary, I'll be listening._

_Until next time, farewell._


	15. A Destiny Fulfilled

_**DISCLAIMER: **__I'd have to be extremely rich in order to own Fire Emblem. But I'm not, so all I have to my name is my OC._

_***REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_**MattyBoy91: **__Thanks… my drive may be shaken, but I won't let it die. :D_

_**mICHAELINATORIOSA: **__Hey, thanks! Looks like I'm definitely getting somewhere with this story. :D_

_***END REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_**NOTE:**__ Bear with me on the use of a particular staff here. I just wanted to show it off…_

_Also, Medeus (and all Earth Dragons) will be portrayed in their FE1/FE3 appearance._

_Now then, let us start the Book 1 conclusion process!_

* * *

**CHAPTER 14**

**A Destiny Fulfilled**

_This was it…_

_For several years, this war had raged on as many nations fell to the Doluna Empire's power. Homes were destroyed, families were slain, and lives were rapidly ruined or extinguished…_

_But now, the time has come to put a stop to all of this chaos._

_With our best equipment we could muster, we marched north from Medon into our final destination… Doluna._

_Given that this dragonkin realm had very little to do with mankind before Medeus made himself known, this place had kept up a pretty good mysterious aura about itself._

_But the chaos that enveloped the entire continent in a brutal endless torrent of war all began with the appearance of the Dark Earth Dragon, and he always staked his claim that all of mankind deserved to suffer… but now his empire is collapsing as we smashed his influence all throughout the continent._

_Medeus' rule… and our long perilous mission… it was all about to end here, and we will be the ones to come out victorious._

XXXXXXXXXX

It took around 6 days of travel, but at last we found ourselves deep in Doluna territory. Most of the land seemed to be barren and deserted…

Many forts dotted the landscape, and a small temple (which Elice mentioned was the Ressurectory) could be seen just a mile to the south.

However, my grandfather's attention was beyond the mountains to the west, where a massive keep could be sighted.

"Over here, sire!" Grandpa called us all over, "Up on these mountains!"

As we approached, the building finally came into view…

"Is that… Doluna Keep?" I heard Marth question.

Looking through my own spyglass, I nodded, "Yep… looks like we're here. The Dark Dragon, Medeus, should be inside…"

"I see… but why hasn't he left the keep to face us?"

"Hm…" Grandpa began, "Before we departed, Lord Gotoh told me that Medeus hasn't fully been revived. Only within his keep's walls can he maintain dragon form, for that is where the seal's power cannot affect him."

I nodded, "It would at least explain why Gharnef wanted Elice to use the Aum staff. With that item, she could easily speed up the resurrection process on Medeus…"

Then, another thought came to mind, "… but what do you mean by 'the seal's power'?"

Grandpa shook his head, "It's pretty difficult to understand, but… the legends speak of a mighty crest designed by the deities to protect mankind from evil dragon tribes. The crest came to be known as the 'Shield of Seals'."

Shield of Seals? Huh… doesn't sound familiar.

"Ah… yes, I've heard of that." Marth nodded, "The Scriptures of Narga do say something of it, but I always believed it was only a myth…"

"Yeah…" I added skeptically, "If this 'Shield of Seals' really exists, then how is it that Medeus is here now?"

Grandpa shook his head once again, "I've only told you what I know. The only thing that matters right now is that he must be brought down… before he can return at his full power."

"You're right, Malledus… we can't waste any time. Let us march on to Doluna Keep, everyone!"

With no further delay, we began our trip to the keep… and as expected, Doluna's forces were not going to let us by without a fight. There were some swordsmen and snipers present, but the vast majority of the enemies were assorted manakete, an even mix of fire and mage dragons.

Yep… this was not going to be pretty.

All the swordsmen (including me) drew wyrmslayers, while our magic-users brought out their most potent spells. A deafening call to war sounded off as we charged ahead to bring them all down…

"Attack! Destroy these vile humans!"

Within minutes, Ogma, Caesar, and I were surrounded by dragons. I quickly rushed at my foe with my wyrmslayer out and I hacked wildly at one of the dragon's bodies while avoiding its claws. It finally ended when I managed to get onto its back and jam my weapon into the back of the dragon's neck, felling it in minutes.

Ogma was also fighting to avoid a mage dragon's breath, and he raced in to slash at the dragon's body. He rolled aside from a claw strike and thrusted his weapon right where its chest was, dropping him after a few minutes.

Caesar jumped away from a third dragon's bite and sliced at its face, forcing its head backward, and that allowed him to rush in with his own flurry of cuts to the body. Caesar was busy avoiding the flailing about of the dragon, but he managed to finish the beast off with a strong thrust.

"We've sure come far since our time in the prince's forces, eh Ogma?"

"Indeed, but there are still a lot of foes left. We shouldn't dawdle."

Bantu and Tiki eventually caught up with us, and transformed into their dragon form to combat the enemy dragonkin. Of the two, Tiki's breath attack proved very useful against the enemy dragons, as it allowed her to clear a path for the rest of us to keep up the assault. Radd and Navarre's swift swordplay cut down any snipers that tried to take a shot at us, and Draug was taking down every hero that was attempting to bar our advance.

Suddenly, the ground beneath us rumbled as a massive mage dragon trudged our way…

"Worthless humans! You dare invade our land!"

I jumped away from his claw as he continued his tirade.

"This world belongs to the dragons! We'll destroy you all for intruding and defiling our realm!"

Gr… the nerve of this beast…

I sidestepped another claw and hacked away at him while shouting back, "It's our land now, you damned monster! Join your brethren in the pits of the inferno!"

I cut at his body, but he still kept standing back up, and I was repaid with a blow from the back of his claw, slamming me backwards. As I struggled to stand back up, his head was now level with my body…

"You'll be going there first, human! DIE!"

He was taking in a breath, so I immediately took a swing at his left eye…

It worked! His head reared back in agony as the wyrmslayer's blade cut right into his eye…

"Nngh! That cheap trick will be your last, worm!"

Wait… he brought his head back down…

Blue flames are starting to erupt from his mouth…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Marth POV, 3 minutes ago)**

I was fighting hard alongside Sheeda as we fought hard against a fire dragon. The falcon-knight's speed was far too quick for the dragon to mount an offense, so while he was trying in futility to bring her down, I rushed in and sliced away at the dragon with the Falchion.

Wow… this was certainly a powerful weapon… the dragon went down in a heap.

"Marth!"

Sheeda called out to me, but her voice seemed to have a trace of panic…

"Sheeda? What's wrong?"

"Hurry to the west! Chris is battling the enemy leader!"

"What?"

We both hustled onward just in time to see Chris slice into a massive mage-dragon's eye, but it wasn't enough to bring him down…

His head was now lowered, and his mouth was spouting blue flames!

"CHRIS! GET OUT OF THERE!"

But it was too late… there wasn't anything anyone could do…

A scorching blast of magic fire erupted from the mouth of the dragon, incinerating the hero. A charred, badly burnt body collapsing to the ground was all that remained when the flames cleared away…

Chris… my friend… no…!

I shook with anger as I drew the Falchion. The blade glowed brightly as I charged forward at the dragon. A sinister toothy grin was on his face…

"So, the prince is here too? Die now and return this world to us, worm!"

I veered to the left as another cloud of fire rushed from his mouth, and rolled ahead to dodge the claw he was swinging. As I stood back up, I furiously hacked away at the dragon's body, and he reared back in agony as the blade was thrusted deep into his chest…

As he collapsed on his side, he growled out weakly…

"Rrgh… forgive me… Lord Medeus… the humans… they…"

… and then he fell silent as he breathed his last…

The adrenaline finally left me as I realized Chris was mortally burned by the dragon. I and a few others rushed to his aid.

"Chris! Please!" I called to him, "Say something! Stay with us!"

His eyes barely opened and he let out a weak cough…

"Sire… grandpa… I'm… sorry… guys. Shouldn't have… been… reckless…"

"We're getting help for you, grandson. Please! Hold on!"

Sadly… it was too late. His eyes closed for the last time… and his chest stopped rising…

He was dead… one of my closest companions… was slain.

I had my head down in anguish, as did a few others…

Malledus… Abel… Cain… Jeigan… Sheeda… Linde… Ogma… Barst… Tiki… and even Princess Nyna were all distraught at his death.

We lost both a mighty ally and a caring friend at that moment…

But then… I felt a hand on my shoulder…

"Marth… my brother…"

It was Elice…

"You don't need to grieve now… there is still a way to bring him back…"

"What? What are you saying?"

"Do you remember? The staff I hold… the Aum staff. If a fallen friend is taken to the Ressurectory, the staff can bring him back from the dead."

The Aum staff…

"I… I understand. Let us make for the Ressurectory, everyone."

With Chris' body in tow, we made our way a few miles south to where the shrine was…

It looked to be very ancient. A stone altar was at the top of the stairs…

"Place Christopher onto the altar now…" Elice directed, and so I did as she said.

"Now… let us pray that this works…"

We backed away as Elice held the Aum Staff above her and muttered some unknown incantation…

Suddenly… a slight breeze began to blow and a bright light shone from above Chris! Rays of light began to pour into his body as the breeze began to pick up…

Unbelievable! His wounds! The burnt flesh was regenerating as though he was never injured at all! Once his body was restored like new again, the wind stopped… and a final glowing star descended from the open ceiling, disappearing into the hero's body.

The light faded away when it was all over, and the staff stopped glowing.

"It is finished, brother… but the staff is out of power now. It will be a very long time before its power can be restored to its full potential again."

"Thank you, sister… thank you so much." I replied, and I approached the sleeping hero…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV, 20 minutes ago)**

Unimaginable burning… that was the last thing I had felt.

Strangely enough, I felt as though nothing could stop me after that, so I…

Wait… where are my items? I looked around until…

No… no way… is that corpse… mine?

NO! I… I'm…

No… I can't be dead… what about my friends? The state of this world? The dreams and aspirations I was going to follow?

Marth… Grandpa… everyone… I failed them all…

I had my head hung in anguish as I took in this fact…

Wait… what are they doing? Where are they taking my body?

The Ressurectory? They've placed my corpse on the altar…

What the… I'm being drawn to the body! There are several lights surrounding me!

The lights eventually grew so bright that they overwhelmed me as everything went black…

XXXXXXXXXX

Ungh… my head…

My eyes slowly opened… and focus finally came to them as the stiffness in my body finally left me.

As I looked up, there were many faces smiling sadly as I surveyed my surroundings…

"Welcome back… Chris." Marth told me.

"What… happened… how am I still…?"

"It was me, Christopher…" Elice answered, "I used the Aum staff to bring you back to us. If I didn't have the staff with me, you…"

She didn't finish her sentence when she looked down sadly…

Suddenly, I felt arms wrap around me…

"Don't scare us like that again, grandson…" he told me, "It was bad enough when your parents were slain by the empire. You didn't need to join them at your age…"

"I'm sorry, everyone… I should've… I should've been more careful."

I hopped off the altar and re-armed my weapons…

Marth then spoke up, "Well, there's no sense in dwelling on what could've been done. It's time we hurried along to the keep. The sooner we enter, the sooner we can eliminate the Shadow Dragon and end this war…"

"Yeah… you're right. Let's get going… and quickly!"

With no further interruptions, we made haste to the keep. At the gates, grandpa began brainstorming how to assault the keep.

"Hrm… there seems to be four entrances we can attack from. Perhaps it would be best if we split into four groups as we attack…"

I nodded at this. There shouldn't too many opponents in the keep now…

Once we finished plotting our attack, we charged inside the keep…

XXXXXXXXXX

_With the bulk of Doluna's forces now out of our way, we began our assault on the keep itself._

_Our forces split into four groups, each with a healer of course, and we charged inside the four gates of the keep._

_We've come this far in this long clash with the empire…_

_Now, let us take courage! The fate of Akaneia, and the entire world, rests on the outcome of this battle! It's all up to us now!_

XXXXXXXXXX

Marth, Sheeda, Ogma, Elice, and I all made our way through the southern gate of the keep. It was… eerily quiet, for some reason…

"Medeus will probably be in the center of this keep. We should re-unite our forces when we get there." I suggested.

"Good idea…" Marth concurred.

Suddenly… a pillar of light warped in front of us! When the light faded away…

"Lord Gotoh! What are you doing here?" Marth asked.

"Marth… I am here to offer my assistance. I can see now that you truly are a hero worthy of Anri's legacy."

"Um… that's great and everything, but… why?" I questioned the sage.

He replied, "In the past, I had cut all ties with mankind and their imprudent ways…"

A small trace of a smile then came to his face.

"But having seen that all of you are fighting for a virtuous cause, perhaps I may have been too quick to judge all of mankind."

"So does that mean you'll fight by our side?"

He nodded, "I might not have the power to put an end to Medeus, but his forces will not stand a chance against this old man and his magic."

Now he turned to Marth…

"You have been chosen by the heavens, Marth, prince of light. It is time… time to strike down the Dark Dragon and return light to our world!"

"Yes… you are right."

With fierce determination, the prince gripped the Falchion as the blade glowed brightly.

"Come, everyone! We've a dragon to destroy! Help me send this beast back to the shadows he came from!"

I nodded, and drew Mercurius, "No doubt this will be our finest hour, so let's go for it!"

"I'll always be by your side, Marth… especially in this time of reckoning." Sheeda added.

"King Mostyn is certainly not going believe the tale I'll be telling him…" Ogma noted to himself.

Elice concluded, "Let us go now, brother. The fate of the world is in our hands now…"

As we readied ourselves to face whoever stood in our way, a slamming noise sounded off from behind us…

"What the…"

We turned around to find that the doors we had gone through slammed shut behind us. They wouldn't budge, no matter how hard we struggled.

"It is the work of Medeus… he knows we're here now." Gotoh grimly told us.

"Well… isn't that just dandy." I grumbled.

I fumbled around my pockets for a door key opened up another door in front of us. As soon as I did…

"There they are! We must stop them from going any further!"

With our weapons at the ready, I engaged an enemy general. His armor greatly limited his agility, while I sidestepped his lance. Before he could react, I had Mercurius out and I was slicing right through his armor. He didn't put up much of a fight as I finished him off with a deep thrust to his chest, dropping him in seconds.

As I retrieved my weapon, I turned to see Gotoh muttering some incantation…

What the…

By the gods! He just unleashed a massive Thoron blast to several heroes and snipers! Their bodies were all mortally electrocuted, and they convulsed violently while engulfed in the electricity. After a few seconds, they stopped moving entirely and remained lifeless…

Note to self… don't get on Gotoh's bad side.

We proceeded west, and as we did we joined up with part of our squadron, led by Julian.

"Everything okay on your end, Julian?" I questioned the thief.

"Yeah… the doors shutting by themselves surprised me. Lucky I had my lockpick handy." He grinned.

"Good to hear…" I nodded.

"Hey! Wait for us, guys!"

Turning around, I noticed Rickard and his group coming toward us from the east. Guess he had his lockpick on hand too…

With our forces now fully reunited, I looked around to see several heroes and a fire manakete coming our way. Ogma raced toward the dragon, while Astram and I crossed blades with a couple of the heroes. My foe was attacking relentlessly with his weapon, so I constantly had my shield up to block his strikes. However, he left himself open at one point, allowing me to duck one of his attacks and do an upward swing with Mercurius. A split right up the middle and the hero was no more…

The dragon was busy facing Ogma and he was having no luck with striking him down with his claws. Ogma on the other hand was busy laying into the dragon with several hard slashes from his wyrmslayer. A powerful thrust into his chest felled the beast…

Finally, Astram was matching wits, and swords, with another hero. The Akaneian merc captain proved his skill deftly by quickly disarming his foe and slicing at his throat. It didn't take long for the enemy to die from suffocation.

And to think we nearly ended up on his bad side…

It wasn't long before we finally made our way to the center of the keep. The inner sanctum of this place was locked up tight…

"Prince Marth, if you're going to bring companions, they must have the strongest weapons possible."

"Right… thank you for the warning, Jeigan."

We quickly decided that I, along with Draug, Gordin, Linde, Elice, and Barst, would join Marth in battling Medeus. To make it a little easier, Minerva allowed Barst to borrow her Hauteclere axe.

After healing up from the enemies we faced, we armed ourselves with the strongest weapons we had (Falchion, Mercurius, Gradivus, Parthia, Aura, and Hauteclere) and opened the door to the final chamber…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Marth POV)**

Mustering all the courage I had, I stepped inside the inner chamber with my friends… and it wasn't long before we finally came face to face with the Dark Dragon himself, Medeus.

His human form was that of a balding old man in a dark purple robe, but my knowledge of the manakete told me he had to be several hundreds, maybe even thousands, of years old.

He stood from his throne and gave us a menacing look…

"**So… the last descendant of that accursed fool Anri is here."**

"Medeus!" I replied angrily, "Your reign of death and destruction ends here! We will bring you down!"

"**Fools!" **he bellowed, **"You honestly believe you can best the power of an Earth Dragon!"**

"Whatever it may take, we will destroy you here and now! Now come and face us, Shadow Dragon!"

Before we realized it, Medeus raised his hands and the earth beneath us began to shake violently. We could barely retain our balance…

"**I will make your deaths slow and agonizing as I send you all to the fiery pits of Hell, where your ancestors are waiting!"**

Then, a black cloud surrounded Medeus and then disappeared into the ground, leaving nothing in its wake…

"Huh? What's he doing?" Barst asked.

Suddenly, the rumbling earth shook even harder as large, jagged cracks in the floor began to form. We had to move quickly to avoid falling into these chasms…

But what happened next struck fear into all of us…

The rumbling continued as the cracks in front the throne formed into a massive hole and a gigantic brown claw emerged from said hole. A second claw followed and we were finally beset by a massive brown scaled beast emerging from the hole in the ground. We braced ourselves as he let out a deafening roar…

This was his dragon form… an Earth Dragon!

"Unbelievable… and we have to destroy him." Chris muttered.

Medeus' mouth opened and we were forced to scatter to avoid the massive cloud of flame he blew in our direction. Gordin wasted no time in returning his own attack with a few Parthia shots, but even though the arrows stuck inside the dragon, he showed no outward sign of pain…

Linde also attempted to assist and unleashed her most powerful attack, Aura. Unfortunately, the blast of light magic proved useless, as the dragon put its claws up and blocked the blast. However this did at least make a good distraction, as Draug aimed Gradivus and tossed it directly into the dragon's chest. The dragon let out a loud roar in pain…

"**Rrahh! Your cheap tricks won't help you, humans!"**

Just as Draug retracted his lance from the dragon's body, a massive claw from Medeus slammed into the general, knocking him several feet away. Elice hurried over to him and brought out a Recover staff to heal him.

"Draug! Are you alright?"

"Nngh… my armor took most of the damage… but… ungh…"

"You're going to be okay, Draug. I'll help you recover at once…"

Now Chris and Barst were bringing out Mecurius and Hauteclere. Chris attempted several cuts into Medeus' body, but even the mighty sword had trouble cleaving through the dragon's rock-hard scales. Barst, for all his strength, was hacking away with the great axe also, leaving heavy gashes in the scales of Medeus.

I hurried in to assist them as Medeus thrashed about. Chris and Barst ducked out of the way of his claws, and this left him open to attack. With the Falchion in hand, I swung at Medeus with everything I had…

The true power of the divine weapon revealed itself, and the bright blade sunk deep into the Dark Dragon. A deafening roar of agony told me that this proved the most effective weapon among us…

"**Grrahh! Accursed prince!"**

Before I could take another swing, I had to move out of the way immediately to avoid the massive flame cloud Medeus spewed out. As the flames died down, I immediately rushed back in…

With all the strength I could muster, I thrusted Falchion into the Dark Dragon's body. A final roar of pain greeted our ears as the monster finally collapsed…

The adrenaline left our bodies as we let out a sigh of relief. I approached the dragon…

"You're finished, Shadow Dragon… your rule is over."

He weakly growled back in response…

"**Nngh… how could I fail again… to the likes of the humans, no less!"**

His eyes looked up hatefully at me…

"**Remember this… prince of light." **He continued, **"Don't think you've… destroyed me for good. As long as the evil in people's hearts continues to exist… my manifestations will forever roam the world…"**

With that… his eyes closed for the final time…

It was silent for several minutes as we took in the situation…

We had done it… we have defeated Medeus! He and his empire would never return again!

"Ha ha! We did it! We've won this war!" Chris shouted out in triumph. Everyone else joined his joyous cry of victory.

It was over.

After 5 long, agonizing years of violence and bloodshed, the war with the Doluna Empire had finally come to a stop.

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

_At last… the war was finally ended, and our mission was accomplished._

_With the destruction of the Dark Dragon at our hands, the sinister empire of Doluna would fade away into obscurity… never to return._

_As the flames of war that had embroiled the continent of Akaneia were extinguished, so too was the darkness that plagued every realm of the continent. The land and its people rejoiced and welcomed the light with fervor… a light thought to have been lost forever with the onset of the Doluna Empire._

_Of course, there were still other things that happened before all of this would come to pass…_

XXXXXXXXXX

With Gotoh's warp powers, we were back in the kingdom of Akaneia, where the people were anxiously awaiting our news of the victory. Before the announcement of the Shadow Dragon's demise even finished, the people erupted in celebration, knowing that the torment of the empire was finally over…

Many festivities were taking place at Pales, and many of our soldiers were even taking part in them, telling the citizens of the many perils all of us faced during our days of war…

For my part though, I chose not to stick around there. I was still pretty exhausted from all the fighting…

"We did it, Marth… it's finally over."

Hm? That was Sheeda!

Hearing that it was coming from a nearby room, I decided to eavesdrop for a short while…

Marth nodded, "Yes… but although I've waited a very long time for this moment… I'm not entirely sure what to do with it…"

"I see…" she said.

Wait, is she turning a little red?

"Um… Marth?"

Unaware of the falcon-knight's nervousness, he replied, "Yes?"

"I… I know we haven't talked that much since we've left Talys, but…" she stopped for a second, her face turning a bit more red, "Where will you go now?"

Marth simply answered, "Back to Altea, of course. The war has left my kingdom in ruins, and I must do everything that I can to rebuild…"

The redness left Sheeda's face as she looked down disappointedly, "Then… I guess it means you'll be bidding farewell to Talys… for good."

Marth shook his head, "Don't be silly, Sheeda! I should at least thank your father, King Mostyn, and tell him of our victory."

Sheeda looked even further downtrodden, "But Marth, this isn't… ah… never mind. Please excuse me…"

I quickly slipped back into the shadows as she hurried out of the room, dejection quite evident on her face. When it was clear, I stepped inside the room where Marth was…

"REAL smooth choice of words there, sire." I sarcastically told him.

"Chris? What do you mean?"

"Come on, Lord Marth. I may not be that bright around women, but even I-"

More footsteps sounded off outside the door, and I turned to see that it was Lady Nyna…

"Marth? What happened? Sheeda looked heart-broken when I passed her a minute ago…" she questioned confusedly.

"Well…" Marth started, "Both of us were talking… and she asked where I was going. Why?"

Nyna was quick to pick up on what went on, and she smiled amusedly.

"Oh, Marth… how is it that the Altea's Shining Star, the great hero who slew the Shadow Dragon, is so desperate to avoid his own feelings?"

Now Marth was confused, "Er… what do you mean? I don't understand…"

"Come on, sire." I told him, "Do you REALLY want to come home alone to Altea? Is that what you and Sheeda would really want?"

"It's where we belong, Chris. I don't see what my wants have to do with anything…"

Nyna shook her head, "Clearly you don't, Marth. This might be your only chance to tell Sheeda what you really want to say. Not all love can unite two hearts on its own… sometimes you must propel it forward yourself and speak it loudly. A great leader such as you is capable of doing that… aren't you?"

Marth stayed silent as he took all of this in…

"Well, sire… the choice is yours. What'll you do now?" I asked, hoping to goad him into talking to Sheeda again.

It worked… he left the room.

Now it was only me and Nyna, so for the first time in a long time… I turned to the princess.

"Uh… Lady Nyna...?"

"Yes, Christopher?"

"Listen… I understand if you still hate me for what I did, but I just… I'm-"

To my surprise, a gentle hand was rested upon my shoulder… it was Nyna's. I looked up at her…

"It's okay, Christopher… I don't hate you. I never have…"

"But… why? I mean… I was the one who killed-"

"Camus… he had his own ideals, as do you. It was only because you and he were on opposite sides that it turned out the way it did. I cannot fault you for that…"

"I… I suppose you're right… but I still feel pretty horrible about it."

Then, another thought came to my head…

"Anyway, what will you do now, milady? Your kingdom needs you at the helm once more if you're going to restore it, right?"

She looked outside the window…

"Yes…with Akaneia in ruins, I must take the throne and lead efforts to rebuild, but…"

She took in a short breath…

"Bishop Boah told me earlier that I am to marry soon. He also said there were only two suitable choices… the Valorous Coyote of Aurelis or the Shining Star of Altea…"

"Hardin and Marth…" I clarified, and she nodded.

"I am not left with much of a choice… I don't want Sheeda to be hurt."

I nodded understandingly at this…

Nyna could've just told Boah that she wanted to marry Marth… but how would Sheeda feel about that? Of course, I've seen how the princess acts… she'd never do anything underhanded like that…

As she got her mind of that, she then turned to me…

"Christopher… have you found anyone… close to you during this long war?"

"Er… huh?"

Nyna stifled a giggle as she noticed my face heat up…

"Come now… I've seen how you've looked at Linde. Do you feel something for her?"

Gah… how…

"Ah… uhm, maybe?"

"Then you should go and speak to her soon! It may be your only chance!" She encouraged.

"Er… alright, I'll try…" I told her, and I immediately departed the room.

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Marth POV)**

Nervousness welled up inside me as I looked all around for Sheeda. How was I going to tell her what I needed to?

It took a few minutes, but I eventually found her in another room… and she was looking down depressed.

I… I really fouled up. I needed to make this right…

"Uhm… Sheeda? May I talk to you for a moment… please?"

She looked up, but she didn't respond. Seeing that she wasn't going to say anything else, I continued…

"I… I wasn't being entirely truthful earlier… when I said I wanted to return to Altea…"

She gave me a look of confusion…

"I… I wanted to return to Altea, yes… but I was hoping that… that you would come with me…"

Now this got her attention, as she stared at me in surprise, and her face reddened a bit… though mine was heating up pretty badly also.

"W-What you said was true… we've never spoken much since our quest began." I stuttered out, "It's just… when I was with you, I never once thought I needed to say anything. W-Whenever the battle began to wear down on me, you… you were always at my side… and I always noticed you… in all your beau-"

I think my temperature shot up rapidly when I flubbed that last line. I stumbled around mentally, attempting to get back on track…

"Ahem! I- uhm… I've always noticed you, in all your bravery… and… ah, I would derive my strength from you… er…"

Sheeda looked on amusedly as I fumbled about trying to think of what else to say…

"Nngh… this just too difficult!" I gave up, and just decided to be direct, "I… Sheeda, I'm sorry… I must look foolish right now. All I wanted to tell you was that I-"

But before I could continue, I felt a small finger silence me…

"Shh, Marth…" she told me, then wrapped her arms around me, whispering, "I know… and I do too… love."

A soft pair of lips upon my own was the last thing I remembered, as time just went on like a blur after that moment…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV, 12 minutes ago)**

As I looked around for Linde, I felt my heart race…

Why was I acting like this, and why was I so nervous when Nyna asked me about her? This is too much…

It didn't take me that long to find Linde, and she was busy unloading her belongings in the room she was in…

"Er… hey there, Linde." I greeted.

She smiled when she noticed who it was, "Chris! Good to see you again! Did you want to speak to me?"

"Uhm, yeah…" I scratched the back of my head, "I… I just want to know what you plan to do now that this war is over…"

Linde looked down and thought carefully…

"Well, Princess Nyna offered to put me in her custody. I'm sure she wants me to join the court of Pales and become a noblewoman there…"

"I see… I think you'd do well there." I nodded.

"Thanks, Chris… but I'm sure it'll be difficult learning the ways of the court…" she replied.

"Maybe… but you'll just have to wait and see."

She shrugged at that statement, then asked, "What about you, Chris? What's next for you?"

I thought carefully about this question before I responded…

"Elice told me that Jeigan would be looking for recruits soon… but I want to rebuild my village first before I decide on whether I want to join or not."

"I think you should join them, Chris…" she suggested, "I've seen how well you do on the battlefield… how you've fought and planned in every skirmish. Your firsthand experience would give you an edge above any new recruits that your country picks up."

"Funny…" I chuckled, "That's what Elice also told me."

"Well, it's true!"

As the humor of this moment faded out, I immediately remembered what I came here for…

"I… I guess this'll be the last time we see each other again." I started…

Linde seemed to realize this, but she shook her head, "Perhaps it may… but I think we could still keep in touch somehow."

"In any case, I… I'm going to miss you. I hope that I'll get to meet with you again…"

I think my face was burning by this point.

Linde, on the other hand, looked amused at my embarrassment…

"I'm sure we will, Chris. However long it may be…"

Next thing I remember I was wrapped in a hug from the female mage. With some degree of nervousness, I returned her embrace.

After a few minutes (which felt like an eternity), we separated…

"Well, I… I guess I'll see you another time, Linde… if the heavens allow it."

"Yes… and I hope they do."

With nothing left to say, I departed from her room, letting out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. Thank goodness I finally got that off my chest…

It wasn't quite a confession by some standards, but it was as close to one as I could muster…

XXXXXXXXXX

_And so… with our mission finally accomplished, the Akaneian League, united under the Fire Emblem, was split up as the many members returned to their homelands to live out their lives. Though separated, the bonds we built on this journey would never be severed._

_Many things were said to have happened our friends during this time…_

_The Great White Sage, Gotoh, became Archsage of Akaneia as per Nyna's request. His long experience with magic would surely certify him as a worthy teacher…_

_Elice would return to Altea along with her brother, Marth. She watched over him as he grew into a leader worthy of Anri's bloodline._

_Lorenz and the young prince of Grust were entrusted with said country's rule. However, I have heard some unsavory rumors of friction between the general and Akaneia…_

_Tiki would live on peacefully with Bantu, and she always spoke fondly of the quest we all embarked on. Bantu, meanwhile, sealed his stone away and left for parts unknown along with Tiki._

_Est seemed to have fallen in love with one of Altea's finest during our mission. To my surprise, it turned out to be Abel, who had recently retired from our forces! I'm sure their lives will be one of happiness now that they are together…_

_I can only wonder where Xane ran off to after the war. None of us had any idea, really…_

_Samson, once a pit-fighter, now makes his living as a mercenary. However, he only offered his sword to those that could meet his standards, admirably enough._

_Palla and Catria both returned home to Medon to help out in the reconstruction process. Sad as it may seem, Palla's crush on Abel and Catria's crush on Marth would both end up falling by the wayside when they noticed who would end up with them._

_Astram, a guy whom I didn't get along with too well, returned home to become the captain of Akaneia's mercenaries. For his unwavering valor, he was rewarded with the mighty blade Mercurius. Interestingly, I had also heard some rumors that he and Midia were to be wed soon, but I had yet to receive any confirmation of that._

_Beck became a famous person when he stopped a band of rebels simply by showing up in his ballista. I couldn't help but find this hilarious myself…_

_Boah, the court bishop, worked tirelessly to restore the Holy Kingdom, guiding the people during its long reconstruction._

_Heavens only know where Thomas had gone when the war came to a close. Maybe he's living someplace else peacefully, I've no idea._

_Macellan decided not to remain in Akaneia's service when the war ended. Instead, he settled at the kingdom's borders and set up a patrol there._

_As Nyna requested, Midia remained in her homeland's forces. Her dedication to her nation and her liege earned her the commanding position in Akaneia's army._

_Jake retired his ballista and settled for rebuilding homes destroyed in this war. After that though, I hadn't heard much of him. Maybe he and his girlfriend, Anna, are off exploring the seas now or something…_

_As Linde told me, she would later go on to become a court official at Pales. We write to each other often, sometimes to relay news of our lands' reconstructions, and other times… just to keep in touch._

_Minerva would do whatever it took to restore Medon from the destruction war brought to the realm. She would eventually become the queen of said nation… though part of me wondered if she was cut out for that sort of thing._

_Maria, her younger sister, actually stopped off at Khadein to learn some kind of magic. She eventually returned to her home to serve Medon as a cleric._

_Jeorge would return home to restore Akaneia back to normal. His unmatched skills with the bow earned him the position of archery-captain and the powerful bow Parthia._

_Roger would return home to his ruined nation of Grust when the war ended. Whether he'll actually succeed in finding a girl, I can only wonder about that._

_Radd would end up finding love somewhere down the line, and so hung up his sword to win this lady's heart. I pray he was successful…_

_As for Caesar, I have no idea where he might've gone. Maybe he's sailed off to another nation or something. In any case, I'm sure he'll be fine…_

_Supposedly, Rickard returned home to live peacefully, which is strange considering that pickpocketing and robbery seemed to be pretty rampant whenever he was around…_

_Wendell would go on to become the head-sage of Khadein and he would travel the continent, some say in search of truth._

_Hardin's men: Wolf, Sedgar, Vyland, and Roshea, would all form up into a mighty Aurelian force called the Wolfguard. Their loyalty to Hardin never faltered…_

_Hardin himself accepted Nyna's hand in marriage, and so became Akaneia's 24__th__ king. I was certain that this would lead to swift restoration for the nation…_

_Merric returned to Khadein to continue his studies in the arts of sorcery after doing what he could to assist Marth in the reconstruction efforts._

_Navarre left as quickly as he came into our group. While none were able to sight him, his name would end up inspiring others to impersonate the great swordmaster, in the hopes of gaining something out of his reputation._

_Lena began working at a convent in Medon, caring for orphans whose parents were lost in the war. She truly earned her reputation as an angel to all she cared for…_

_Julian ended his ways of thievery and decided to make an honest living in Medon. It was a very welcome change of character for many._

_Darros took to the seas once more, as he seemed right at home on water. It'd probably be the last I'd see of him…_

_Castor returned home to his ailing mother, with medicine in hand. I'm sure they're living decent lives now._

_Bord and Cord returned home to Talys and settled for lives as woodcutters. Their combination of speedy work and craftsmanship made them known to many throughout the kingdom._

_As for Barst, my axe teacher, some say that he briefly joined Akaneia's forces… but then deserted to become a pirate. Why he would walk a path like that is beyond me…_

_My sword instructor, Ogma, returned home to Talys to serve the people. I am grateful that he taught me what I know about the sword…_

_Wrys spent his days having a monastery built to care for children whose parents were slain in the war._

_Norne, the volunteer archer, returned to Altea to live out the rest of her life peacefully. She was glad to have served her nation as best she could._

_Draug, Altea's finest general, was stationed in an outlying garrison in the frontiers of Altea. I'm certain that the people love his dedication in protecting them._

_Gordin decided to squire himself off to a certain Akaneian sniper to further his skills at the bow. Once his training was completed, he would return home to Altea with his younger brother._

_Abel, despite his experience as a knight, decided to retire from Altea's forces and open up a small shop. As noted with Est, I'm sure things will look up for them if they decide to marry._

_Kain remained in Altea's forces, dedicating his life to teaching young squires the ways of war. He proved to be a shining example of how a knight should be…_

_Commander Jeigan retired from his position and decided to serve as a close advisor to Marth. I still refer to him as the commander, however…_

_Sheeda visited her father in Talys to say goodbye to him before going to Altea to stay with Marth. Naturally, Mostyn gave his blessing for the prince to wed his daughter._

_Marth finally returned home to Altea to proceed with the reconstruction of his war-torn nation. It wouldn't be long before he took up the throne and be crowned as king._

_Which now leaves me…_

_With the war now over, I returned home to Altea and spent my time doing all that I could restore Sera village from its ruins. Marth himself saw to it that it would be restored swiftly…_

XXXXXXXXXX

"…and for those that have sacrificed their lives to ensure the continent's freedom… may their souls find peace in the afterlife." I said to myself as I wrote down the final passage in my war journal.

It's been a few months since I started reconstructing my home, and I had recently turned 17 at that time. With Prince Marth's help, recovery is progressing smoothly…

"Christopher, are you finished chronicling this war now?"

"Yeah, I just finished." I told Grandpa.

As I looked it over once again, I was amazed at how so much took place in this war. It'd be very tough to believe for a normal person…

"I'm sure you never would've expected that you'd take part in such a quest."

"Yeah… you could say that."

I looked out the window, toward the night skies… just thinking.

Grandpa seemed to notice my thoughts and he looked out that same window…

"Christopher… I have taught you all that you need to know about war tactics, and you've learned much in the ways of combat since you've first joined us. Do you know what you will say to Jeigan tomorrow morning?"

I thought carefully about this…

If I were to join Altea's knights, then this would require serving Prince Marth with my very life. On the other hand, it meant that my oath would have to be upheld even if the prince did something wrong… and unlike the many foes I had faced before, my loyalty didn't run THAT deep.

So in the end… it all came down to one major question: Did I trust Marth enough to put my life on the line for him and the country?

I gave my answer to Grandpa…

"I… I will ask the commander to consider officially adding me into their ranks. I hope they understand that I want to fight for what is right."

"Well spoken, grandson… but don't be nervous when you tell him that. You have expectations to live up to when you join, so do what you can to fulfill them."

I nodded, as he bid me a good evening and left the house to return to the castle.

The moon shined brightly as I curled up into my bed, sleep soon coming over me.

It was a long, exhausting war… and I played my part in fighting for the right thing.

This continent has finally earned its time of peace and tranquility… and I pray that it will last a very long time.

One final thought came to my head as peaceful dreams entered my head…

'_Mom… Dad… I will follow your wishes… I will serve the prince and Altea… and I will fight for what is right. That will be my purpose… for taking up arms… and joining Altea's forces.'_

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER**

_And how about that? Book 1 is now completed!_

_For those of you that stuck through this story every step of the way, thank you very much. It was a long, trying process, but now I can honestly say that I have novelized Book 1 as best as I could._

_Hopefully, future writers might look to these chapters as a blueprint of sorts for doing their own novelizations of Book 1 if they so choose. Heck, I'm sure they could improve upon it also!_

_Now comes the real challenge: How to best approach Book 2 of the story! With any luck, I can learn more about the remake so I can effectively implement its elements into the story…_

_As always, if you have any reviews or commentary, I'll be here to listen._

_Until next time, farewell!_


	16. Knighthood

_**DISCLAIMER: **__Fire Emblem is an awesome series that I obviously do NOT own. All I have to my name is my OC._

_***REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_**ExposedWiresExposedVeins: **__Glad you've enjoyed it so far! Of course, this story isn't over yet!_

_***END REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_I guess you could call this chapter my take on the new prologue in FE12. I'm pretty much flying blind though, seeing that there's no translation for it yet. (At least not to my knowledge.)_

_Well, either way, let's get Book 2 underway!_

* * *

**INTERLUDE**

**Knighthood**

_If one were to ask if they knew of the heroic king who brought light back into the world, they would respond that it was Marth, Altea's Shining Star, who had accomplished this valorous deed._

_However, there was another hero who stood at his side and assisted in this daunting task._

_As Prince Marth fought bravely to rout an evil empire at its roots, so too did this hero who acted as his shadow._

_This person, this… shadow, was a close friend to the prince; an even combination of strategist and swordsman who looked after him in times of crisis._

_History would hold no record of this soldier… but this meant little to him. As long as his friends knew of his heroic deeds, that was all the recognition he would ever need._

_This soldier, the one who fights in the shadows, would once again rise up and assist his friends in the near future._

_His name is Christopher Derek Mordoff, and this… is his OTHER story._

XXXXXXXXXX

"Zzz…yeah… that'd make a… zzz… good start in my… zzz…"

For those wondering, I was having an interesting dream about writing a good story… one that would sure to be a famous tale in the years to come…

Sadly, it all came to an end as the sun peeked through my window. The rays of light were quick to stir me from my sleep…

"Nngh… too early to wake up." I grumbled as I slowly sat up, my body groaning in protest. I got myself dressed and strapped on my sword, dagger, and satchel.

Today was going to be a big day. It was time to see if I had what it took to be a knight!

After inspecting myself and my possessions a few more times, I departed from my house to stop off at a local inn for a quick breakfast…

There were a couple of people already there when I walked in, though.

"Hey there, Chris! It's been a while!"

"Yeah! Good to see you again!"

Oh! It was Abel and Est! I waved and greeted them both…

"Hey guys. You here to eat too?"

"Of course! This place makes some good food here!" Abel answered.

After a few minutes of ordering and waiting, I decided to chat with Abel…

"So Abel, how's your little business going so far?"

"It's going pretty well, actually." He grinned, "I'm hoping I can expand my little shop throughout the continent!"

"Really?" I sounded surprised, "That's pretty ambitious!"

"Yeah, but I've got to start from the bottom before I can achieve that goal. You should drop in sometime!"

It seemed during my talk with Abel, his wife noticed I had my supplies on hand…

"So Chris, how come you have your weapons and supplies with you?" Est asked me.

I answered, "You've noticed how there are several fliers posted throughout the village and shops here, right?"

She nodded, "Yes… they all say that Altea is looking for new recruits to join the military. They explicitly state that 'Only those who have what it takes should consider joining.'"

Abel then realized why I was geared up, "Chris? Are you going to join Altea's forces?"

I only nodded, and he grinned…

"Well, here's hoping you make the cut then! Good luck out there!"

Once our conversation ended, I received my food…

Ah… sausage and eggs. Delicious…

After about 20 minutes, I consumed my meal and bade farewell to Abel and Est.

"Hey! Give my regards to Commander Jeigan when you get there, Chris!" Abel told me.

I nodded and made my way to the castle, going faster when I noticed a few others gathering near the gates. Many of the faces I found there didn't look too familiar at all…

They must be the other people that want to join…

It was only a few more steps to the gate, and-

Oof!

Next thing I knew, I was bowled over by an unknown force barreling out of the castle entrance. It took a few moments to get back to my senses, but once I did, I realized what – or who, rather – had crashed into me.

It was a girl… probably around my age, if not a little younger. She was wearing what seemed to be a small purple cloak, and the book knocked from her grip seemed to be an Elfire tome…

Guess that means she's a mage.

"You alright?" I asked her as I helped her back up.

"I… I'm fine." She hesitantly answered as she stood back up, "I'm sorry I ran into you…"

"Don't worry about it." I told her, "What's the reason for your hurry?"

"I was told that those who wanted to join Altea's army were to report to the gates until further notice…" the girl replied.

"I see… so you're here for the same reason most of these people are, huh?"

"Yes… I think my magic would prove useful for Altea, although… my true aspiration is strategy. I'd actually like to be a tactician…"

"Is that right?" I smirked, "Well, I will say this… it's an admirable goal to become one."

"You think so?"

"Of course! See, my grandpa once told me in his own words that, 'An army is generally only as good as the hand that guides them.' In other words, a country's military force can have all the power they want, but if they do not have a good sense of planning, then all its might will only be wasted."

"That's well spoken! I should remember those words, um…"

"Chris… my name is Chris." I finished for her.

"Oh… of course." She nervously spoke, "My name's Katarina… it's good to meet you, Chris."

Suddenly, another voice spoke up loudly. It was coming from a green-haired, blue-armored man (It wasn't Draug though, as this person looked about my age, maybe a little older).

"Hey, you guys! You done chatting it up back there? Some old paladin's calling us to the training grounds!"

"Luke, you dolt! That's Commander Jeigan calling us! Now come on!" a brown-haired, green-armored man (again, around my age) chastised the recruit, now known as Luke. He soon went down the hall to where the rest of the trainees were going.

"What? That was Jeigan? Hey, wait up Rody!" Luke called out to the other recruit, whom I now knew to be Rody.

I turned to Katarina, "Guess we'd better go follow them."

And so we followed these people into the western end of the castle. It only took a couple of minutes before we found ourselves in a wide open outdoor area that seemed to resemble some kind of arena. After separating into four pairs, a certain elderly paladin began to address us…

"Welcome, new recruits… to the proving grounds of Altea's forces! I hope you have prepared yourself for the trials that await you all, because we accept only the best and brightest in our army…"

As Jeigan continued his little orientation speech, Katarina whispered…

"What sort of training does he have in mind for us?"

"Well… I think we're about to find out."

Jeigan then addressed another soldier to join him, and so he turned to me…

"Greetings, Christopher… so you've decided to make your position in the army official now, have you?"

For the sake of looking professional, I simply nodded, ignoring the confused looks from everyone else.

"Very well then. You will have to start from the bottom like the rest of your fellow trainees, but I'm sure you'll make a good example for the rest of them to follow."

"I sure hope you're right about that, commander…"

The soldier from before then addressed me, "Alright, Christopher… it's time to see what potential you have to offer to Altea's finest."

He then turned to the rest of the crowd…

"All trainees clear the field at once! This is an exhibition!"

As all of the trainees retreated from the field, a mercenary and fighter soon joined the area where I was and sided with the soldier…

Since this was just a training exercise and everyone else wasn't using actual weapons, I decided to put aside my own weapon and retrieved a wooden sword from a nearby barrel full of trainer weapons. It weighed about as much as a steel sword, so it felt more-or-less right in my hands.

As I looked upon my four opponents, I could hear a jeer from whom I figured must've been Luke…

"Ha… this guy thinks he can take on those three? He's nuts!"

Resisting the urge to fire back a retort, I fixed my gaze upon my first target… the fighter.

I raced toward him as the soldier and mercenary both attempted to cut me off, and gave a quick swing at the fighter, forcing him to block. Using my weapon to shove the fighter off balance, I immediately turned to block the mercenary's own sword. With a quick kick to the mid-section, I knocked him away and attempted to sidestep the soldier's lance, but I couldn't move fast enough to avoid getting stabbed in the chest…

"Oof!"

Thank goodness that lance was only a fake one. If it was real, that would've been it for me…

Recovering from the poke, I successfully sidestepped another lance thrust and whacked the soldier with my sword, knocking him out. The mercenary then came up with his sword raised, ready to bring it down on me, but once again I blocked his strike, all the while attempting to stay out of the fighter's range. Steering his sword downward, I slammed my fist into his jaw to knock him for a loop, then spun quickly to parry the fighter's axe. With a quick kick to the mid-section, I stunned him long enough to stab at him with my sword, knocking him down. Now with only the mercenary to deal with, I continued crossing swords with him until he finally began to let up, allowing me to take a good strike at the back of his head, putting him down for the count.

With all of my opponents beaten, I fell to one knee, propping my sword to keep from falling over. It's been a while since I've been in a situation like that…

As I looked over to the crowd, they were all surprised at how well I handled myself in this fight. Jeigan soon came over as I got back to my feet, still a tad bit exhausted…

"That was well done, Christopher… but it seems you're a little rusty."

"Well, can you blame me…?" I gasped out, "I haven't been in a fight like that in months!"

"Yes, well… this won't be like last time." He said, "You are a fine warrior to be sure, but if you're going to join the military, you will need to have comrades at your side to help you overcome whatever obstacles you will face."

"I understand, commander."

Jeigan nodded and beckoned all trainees back to the field.

"Now remember, you must keep your wits about you when you're facing the opposition. If one of your comrades is in trouble, do not hesitate to assist them. Likewise, don't get careless when you face a dangerous foe. If you're having trouble, fall back at once or call for assistance. There is no glory in facing one's enemy to the bitter end if you come out on the losing side of the battle, and there are no higher deities in the heavens that are going to bring you back to life should you make a wrong move out on the field. Do I make myself clear?"

A resounding "YES SIR!" was his answer.

Satisfied, he concluded, "You have an hour of break-time, so use that time how you see fit. However, I want you all to report back here once the clock strikes noon. Until then, you are all dismissed!"

With that said, I decided to go see my grandfather in his office. On my way back to the inner chambers, however…

"Hey! Christopher!"

I turned to see the brown-haired cavalier walk up to me.

"Oh, hey there, um… Rody, right? You can just call me Chris."

"Yes, that is me." He nodded, "It's good to see somebody in this troop who's willing to take this job seriously for once."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's just that many of the people I've seen among us see this as some kind of game, like they want to believe that nothing will happen to them."

I shook my head, "Rody, I understand your sentiments, but… it's just that they're still green. It's going to be a while before they can get some real combat experience under their belts."

Rody shrugged, "Yes… I suppose so, but that reminds me…"

Now he was giving me an odd look.

"Commander Jeigan was talking to you like you had been through this kind of thing before. Are you really as good as he claims you to be?"

"Er…"

Gee, he's pretty perceptive… but how do I tell him…?

"Uhm, I could be… but I'll have to tell you the truth of the matter some other time."

"If you say so…" he shrugged, and wandered away.

I'm not so sure they'd believe me if I told them of my previous exploits in the War of Shadows, so I decided not to speak of it until some other time…

In any case, I spent the next 15 minutes wandering the halls until I finally reached my grandfather's office. I opened up the door and this caught his attention…

"Blast it, do you not know how to- Oh!" he stopped his tirade when he saw me.

"Hey, grandpa… sorry about not knocking." I scratched my head.

"Oh, that's quite alright, Christopher." He waved dismissively, "So how is your training coming along?"

"It's going pretty well, I'd say. I was tasked with demonstrating how to handle multiple opponents, but… I was pretty rusty out there. I'll need to try harder if I want to get back to my full potential."

"Don't worry too much about it. You've got plenty of time to prove yourself." He told me, then added, "By the way, a young girl came through here earlier, asking for me. When I told her who I was, she was excited to see me, saying that she admired how well I planned our skirmishes in the previous war…"

"Oh, so Katarina met with you too, huh?"

"Yes… and she said that her aspirations were to learn all she could about war tactics. I decided I would offer her some advice in addition to her training on the field."

"I see… well, she'd surely benefit from your knowledge."

"Yes, well… shouldn't you be going now? What time are you to report back?"

"Not until noon, but I do see your point… I'm thinking of getting lunch so I'll have enough energy for the next exercises."

"Very well then." He told me, "See you another time, grandson…"

"Bye, grandpa…" I said, but before I turned to the door, I finally realized something seemed off about him…

Why was he so pale? He's been holding a handkerchief for a while, but… I don't see anything on it.

Fear began to take an icy grip on me as I questioned him…

"Uh… grandpa? Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm just fine, Christopher. You don't need to worry about me… now hurry along."

"If you say so…" I reluctantly conceded and departed from his office.

I'm still not entirely convinced he's doing alright, but I've no time to dwell on it now…

After a quick meal in the kitchen, I hustled back to the field with a little over ten minutes left to spare. However, there was still one other person also at the field.

A boy with green hair was taking aim at a target several feet away. There were a couple of arrows stuck to the target, but most of his shots were not even close to their mark…

"Gah… how did my brother do this so easily…?"

Wait… he said brother… Gordin once told me he had a little brother…

That must be him!

After he fired his last arrow… and missed, I came over to pick up his shots.

"Uhm… are you Chris?" the boy asked me, "My big brother told me much about you…"

Turning to the boy, I replied, "Yes, that's me… er, what is your name?"

"Oh, er… my name is Ryan. I'm Gordin's brother…"

"I see…" I said as I returned his arrows, "It's good to meet you, Ryan. So you've been working hard on your archery, huh?"

"Yes…" he anxiously answered, "I've heard about how big brother fought alongside you and many others in the War of Shadows… and it was because of his exploits that I wanted to join the military, like he did."

I smiled slightly, "Your brother was a great knight, Ryan. In the past, he was much like you are right now. He had little experience with shooting, but over time his marksmanship improved massively. I'm sure if you give it your all, you too could be a worthy sniper."

"Really? Thanks, Chris! I'll keep it up!"

With new fervor, he loaded his bow with another arrow and returned to his practice…

He's got a long way to go, but I think he's got what it takes.

Looking up at a nearby clock tower, I noted it was 9 minutes to noon, so I took out my sword and did a few practice swings, visualizing my foe before me.

As I did this for another couple of minutes, I noticed Luke was approaching…

"Hey! You're Chris, right?"

I stopped swinging and turned to the cavalier, wiping the sweat from my brow.

"Yeah, I am. What about it?"

"I noticed your little exhibition hours ago. You're actually pretty good…"

I gave him a look at that point, "And this is coming from the same guy who thought I was nuts for trying it…"

"Er… oops."

"Never mind…" I shook my head, "So what do you want from me?"

"I want to see your skills for myself. Come, let's spar right here and now!"

"Ever the reckless one, aren't you?" I grinned, "Well, fair enough!"

Taking a couple of wooden swords from a nearby barrel, I unsheathed one and tossed the other to Luke, who did the same.

"I should warn you, Chris." He started, "I've trained pretty hard with the sword, so you might actually have trouble!"

"We'll just see about that." I retorted, "Now enough talk, let's dance!"

With no delay, Luke let out a war cry and charged at me with his sword. However, I was a bit faster on the draw and I easily parried his strike, repaying him with an elbow to the chin. This surprised Luke and stunned him for a short while, allowing me to take a swing at his side. The wooden blade sounded off loudly as it connected with the cavalier's body.

"Agh!"

"Want more?"

Still reeling from the shot I nailed him with, he attempted a horizontal swing, which I ducked. He tried again, this time with a vertical slash, but I rolled out of the way before the hit landed. Before he could lift his weapon to try again, I got out of my rolling and clipped his leg with my own sword, causing him to stagger.

"Hey! Stop with these cheap tactics and fight like a man!" Luke called.

"When you're fighting in wars…" I countered him, "…you've got to use every trick at your disposal!"

I stood back up just as Luke was getting back his balance.

"But if you really want to see my true skill…"

With much faster speed, I rushed in and thrusted my weapon at his body. Luke was too slow to react, and the wooden blade ended up nailing his mid-section and knocking him to the floor.

"…then there you have it." I finished with a grin.

It took a couple of minutes, but Luke finally got back up after I soundly handed him his hide. It was then that I noticed a few others come in as well…

"Wow, Chris… you're very handy with a sword…" Katarina noted.

"Yeah… but it's only thanks to an old friend of mine that I know all the tricks that I just did in this little sparring session."

"I see…" she replied, "Our next training exercise will be starting soon. Luke should probably treat his bruises before the commander gets here."

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Rody POV)**

These training exercises were proving tougher with each passing day…

Today's exercise involved us knowing what we should do if we should come under a surprise attack. Sir Cain was our instructor for this task…

"Alright team!" he barked out, "You're now going to play out this scenario. You've just routed the opposing forces on the field. However, there are reinforcements waiting in the forts surrounding you all. Use careful timing and teamwork, and you should come out of this one safely! Does anyone have any questions?"

A deafening silence was the only response he got.

"Very well then." He said, and then made a gesture to release the reinforcements.

"Good luck to you all!"

So that was the situation. Luke, Chris, Ryan, Katarina, and I were the only ones outside on the field. Katarina decided to take it upon herself to direct us as the tactician. We readied our weapons as the enemy forces emerged from the five forts surrounding us. A fighter emerged from the top fort, while mercenaries came in from the middle forts, and soldiers stormed out of the bottom forts. Guided by Katarina, Luke and I fought the mercenaries, while Chris took on the fighter with some assistance from Ryan.

With my lance raised, I rode in and stabbed at the mercenary. Nailing his arm, I followed up with a quick swipe at his neck. The enemy was no more after he had choked to death…

Luke was clashing blades with the other mercenary, and though he did get nicked a couple of times, Luke was quick to make a comeback as he landed several slashes into the foe's body. The mercenary was ultimately finished when Luke thrusted his own sword into the heart of the enemy.

Chris was having little trouble with the fighter, as he was too slow to nail him with his axe, and any attack he might've landed was parried by Chris' sword. Eventually, Chris stopped playing around and sliced at the fighter's neck, choking him until he met his end.

As for Ryan, he seemed pretty nervous as the soldiers drew closer. Raising his bow, he fired off shots as fast as he could, but his shots either missed or were blocked by their shields. It took several tries, but finally he managed to fire a well-placed arrow to one of the soldier's heads, dropping him instantly. Unfortunately, it was Ryan's last arrow, and he was now within the soldier's striking distance!

"A kid like you has no place on the field. Sorry, but you're finished!"

"N-no! Someone help!"

I had to ride in quickly, so I had my lance raised and I thrusted hard at the soldier, repelling his shield and punching right through his armor and his chest. The opponent died in seconds…

"Ryan, are you alright?"

He looked down shamefully, "Yes… but, I wasn't good enough. I don't know if I'll ever be…"

"Ryan, don't beat yourself up over this…" I started, "Remember what Sir Cain and the commander said? One can't expect to win every battle on their own."

"Yeah, but… I'll only be a burden as I am now. I need to do better…"

Sir Cain then came back onto the field and commended us all for our efforts, and he then told us that our final test would be our first mission. It sounded simple enough, seeing as it was a simple patrol of the local villages. We would be unified into our own platoon if we were successful…

It was then that I heard Katarina speaking to Chris…

"Chris, do you think we'll be able to handle our first mission?"

"I'm sure it won't be hard. From what I generally know, bandits aren't usually very smart when they attack. We've all been trained in the ways of war, so this should be a cakewalk…"

"I sure hope you're right…"

After getting dismissed, we vacated to the barracks near the castle. We would have to wake up bright and early tomorrow to begin our first assignment as knights.

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

Though it was actually ten hours of sleep we got, it felt more like I slept only one hour…

Over the course of our training, I had gotten along pretty well with the rest of my fellow trainees. Luke seemed to be the most brash out of the group, and this seemed to be the reason for him being a thorn in Rody's side, but at least he's not have that kind of suicidal overconfidence I've seen others have.

Ryan, Gordin's little brother, seemed just as – if not, more – timid than his elder sibling. There were many times when I and a few others needed to bolster his confidence. I see the potential in his archery, and it may be up to us to bring it out of him.

As for Rody, he seemed to take his duties seriously, and I identified with him probably closer than the others. His father died fighting for Altea during the War of Shadows, and so he decided to join the military to honor his memory. No doubt he would make a fine soldier under Altea's crown…

Finally, there was Katarina… I've seen how her magic worked wonders during our training, and her tactical skills are also not too shabby. We've talked often, usually discussing how events played out in the previous war. This morning, however, there was something else on her mind…

"Chris… there's something I think you should know…"

"Er, what would that be?" I asked the mage.

"I heard that the commander will be using this mission to evaluate if some in this platoon is ready to be in the prince's personal guards. Do you think you would be interested?"

"Hm… you know, I think I just might be." I nodded, "I'll probably ask the commander when this mission is over."

As our little platoon assembled at the gates, Jeigan called over another person…

Said person seemed to be a cavalier like Luke and Rody, but from the longer, dark-pinkish hair and matching armor, I was pretty sure this particular cavalier was female.

"Cadets, this is Cecil, from Altea's 9th division. To ensure that there will be no mishaps during this mission, she will be joining your squadron from this point forward."

"Thank you for allowing me this opportunity, commander." The cavalier told Jeigan, "We will serve our duty with no hesitation!"

"Very well then!" the commander bellowed, "Move out, cadets!"

XXXXXXXXXX

The sun was beating down on us that afternoon as we were patrolling the villages throughout the lands surrounding the castle.

It had already been two hours and boredom was soon beginning to set in on just about all of us…

"Geez…" Luke started, "How much longer do we have to do this?"

"Stop complaining, Luke." Cecil reprimanded, "This is what the commander wants us to do. What would he say if he heard you whining like that?"

"He's not here now, is he?" he snarked back.

"Luke…"

Uh-oh…

"Look, we should just head back to the castle. We're just wasting our time out here!"

"No! Our patrol shift isn't over yet! Are you a knight or not, Luke?"

"Of course I am! What makes you think-"

Alright, that does it…

"Both of you, just SHUT UP!" I shouted at both of them.

This shocked both of them into silence. Frustration setting in, I continued…

"Guys, there's no reason for you two to be arguing like this. We've still got a duty to uphold if we want to officially be soldiers. We go back now, and we're just going to blow that chance."

I glared at both of them at this point…

"And I am not going to lose this opportunity because of this stupid little dispute you two are having. Now come on and let's get back to work!"

Too shocked to protest, they both nodded and we returned to patrolling the area for another hour, until…

"Ha! So many villages ripe for plunder! C'mon boys!"

So much for a quick finish…

Four barbarians, a couple of thieves, and a hunter jumped out of some nearby trees just as we were doubling back to the castle. We immediately drew our weapons and charged at this gang of ruffians.

"You've picked a bad day to go pillaging, you scumbags!" Luke taunted as he sliced into one of the barbarians with his sword. His innards ripped out, the barbarian fell to the ground, death being quick to claim him.

I was in the middle of my own struggle with another barbarian, locking my sword with his axe. I feigned a swing at the foe, and when he raised his axe to block, I slammed my leg right into his mid-section, knocking the air out of him. While he was doubled over, I brought my blade down right on his neck, leaving him one head shorter than his other companions.

Suddenly, I witnessed an arrow whiz right past my head, and I quickly turned to see the hunter taking aim at me. I had to move quickly to avoid being shot at, but thankfully, Ryan noticed what happened and fired a well-placed shot right in the back of his head, dropping him instantly. I mouthed words of thanks to the young archer, and hurried over to engage another barbarian.

Rody and Cecil were having no trouble taking down the thieves. While they were fast, they couldn't even lay a scratch on either of the cavaliers. They soon met their end at the points of a couple of iron lances.

It wasn't long before we finally confronted their leader…

"Nngh… I thought you wet-behind-the-ear trainees would be easier to kill!"

"Yeah, well you thought wrong." I shrugged, then replied, "Now, unless you want to join your buddies here, I suggest you clear out of here right now!"

"No chance!" he bellowed back, "I'll kick your ass here and now! None of you can best me!"

"Try me." I beckoned.

With a shout of rage, he charged at me with his axe, but I quickly sidestepped his slow chop and sliced at his mid-section, leaving a glancing cut. Although he was slowed down a little, he then tried to take a side-swing at me, but again I proved to be faster on the draw and I sliced at his chest this time. The wound was deep enough for him to cry out in pain and drop his weapon, allowing me to end him with a thrust to the wound I just left him.

"Nngh… damned Altean rabble." were his last words.

Wiping the sweat from my brow, I cleaned off my sword and sheathed it.

"Well, I guess that's that."

"A job well done, I'd say." Cecil concurred.

Our job done, we marched back to the castle. After Jeigan had commended our success and dismissed us, I decided to ask him…

"Um, commander? I've heard that some in the 7th squadron are to become Prince Marth's personal guards. Is this true?"

"Yes, you are right." He confirmed, "However, I have to discuss this matter with the prince before we can come to a decision. I've evaluated the training exercises and the mission that all of you have completed, and the results must be shown to the prince before we come to a decision…"

Hm… so this is what all this training is culminating to, huh?

"I see… thank you, commander."

He nodded and sent me on my way.

Tomorrow, we would find out if we were worthy of such a position. I could hardly wait…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Katarina POV)**

Night was quick to fall after we completed the mission. However, I wasn't quite ready to call it a night just yet.

"Well, it's time I get some rest… tomorrow's a big day after all." Chris told me.

"Yes… good night, Chris. I hope to see you in the morning!" I replied back to him.

"Of course…"

Before he went inside, however, I noticed something…

Since when did Chris wear a headband? Hm…

"Uhm… Chris? Is that a headband you're wearing?" I questioned with a hint of amusement.

"Oh, uh… yeah." He hesitantly replied, "I, uhm… had a look in Cecil's bag once, and I noticed she had a dark headband among the many white ones she had. It fell out of her bag while we were coming back to the barracks, so… yeah."

"I see…" I nodded, "Have you told Cecil?"

"Er… no." he shook his head, "But hopefully she won't mind…"

"Ha ha… well, I'm sure we'll see eventually won't we?"

"Yeah…" he replied as he let out a deep yawn, "Good night…"

Okay, good… he's off to sleep. Now I must begin the operation…

Being very careful not to alert any of the guards, I made my way through the halls of the castle, until I managed to get into the inner gardens. It was there that my contacts was waiting for me…

"Ah, so you're here, Eine." One of them spoke aloofly.

My contacts was a giant of a man that wore a mask that made him almost resemble a sinister demon of sorts. On his back was a gigantic blood-red axe… his weapon of choice, a killer axe.

The other was a blonde sniper whom I had grown up alongside in my life, and she was like a sister to me. At her side was her usual silver bow and arrows.

"Yes, Roro… I successfully infiltrated their ranks."

"So it seems." The girl replied, "And did anyone suspect you or your mission?"

"No… I've earned their trust, Kuraine." I replied.

"Good. Now, remember what you need to do tomorrow. During the ceremony, you are to assault the throne room and eliminate that prince and anyone else in your way. I trust you understand this, yes?" Roro asked me

"I understand." I nodded solemnly "I will not fail my master… Eremiya."

"See that you don't, Eine." Kuraine spoke coolly, "Now go…"

With nothing left to be said, I quietly returned to my temporary quarters. Tomorrow was the day I had to do my job… and I wouldn't fail.

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

At last, today was the day!

All of us had just woken up that morning, eager to hear if we would officially become a unit together. After getting cleaned up to look our best, we processed out of the barracks to the throne room of the castle.

On the way there, however…

"Chris?" I heard Cecil ask me, "I was missing that headband a few days ago! How did you find it?"

"Er… I just happened to pick it up one day." I shrugged, "Figured I might as well wear it if I had to hold on to it." At that point I asked, "Do you want it back?" as I was about to remove it…

She shook her head, "You can keep it, Chris. Actually… it suits you pretty well."

"Uhm… thank you?"

She grinned and just refocused her attention to where we were going. But then, another thought came to my mind…

"Uh, Cecil? Where's Katarina? I don't see her among us."

The female cavalier looked around, noting the same thing I did… Katarina was missing.

"I don't know…" she answered, "Wherever she is, I hope she isn't late for this important occasion."

After a few minutes of walking, we finally found ourselves inside the throne room. It still looked as magnificent as I remember it being…

Ah yes… my old friends, Marth, Sheeda, and Elice were all there as well…

Taking my cue from everyone else in the unit, I knelt before the prince.

Marth then began to address us…

"It's a pleasure seeing all of you here today, cadets…" he started, "You've all trained long and hard for this moment, pushing yourselves and surpassing your limits in these tests of skill and fortitude."

Jeigan then approached and continued on…

"Prince Marth and I have evaluated each and every one of you to see if all of you are worthy of becoming a unit among Altea's forces. It will be expected from each of you that you will swear your allegiance to the kingdom and to its ruling liege. Do you accept this condition?"

"We do." All of us responded in unison.

Now Marth continued…

"So let it be done." He answered back as he received a parchment from the commander…

As he opened the scroll, a small trace of a smile came to his face.

"Congratulations, all of you! Your assessment here states that all of you have met the criteria necessary to qualify! You are now officially named the 7th battalion of Altea's forces!"

We… we were accepted? Wow!

"Hm… and it also says something else."

The prince looked up at me, "Christopher, please step forward."

Huh? What's going to happen?

As I approached the prince's throne, I went down on one knee once more as Marth rose.

Uh… what is that sword he's holding?

I soon got my answer when he spoke once more, "Christopher Derek Mordoff… for your exceptional prowess and leadership out on the field, the commander has given his recommendation for you to command this platoon. Will you accept this position?"

I answered sincerely, "I will accept this responsibility, sire. As a knight and personal vassal of Altea, I will serve with my very life."

"Very well." He said, and I felt the flat of his sword on my shoulder, "Then it is with great pleasure that I bestow upon you the position of 7th platoon captain. May you execute your duties faithfully and without hesitation… now arise, Sir Christopher."

Slowly, I rose up to my feet, now facing him. He put out his hand and I shook it, even hearing his whisper…

"It's good to have you with us, Chris. I know you'll do great."

I simply grinned and nodded.

This will be a major responsibility… but I think I've got what it takes to do it!

Suddenly, the doors behind us flew open and a soldier rushed inside, panic evident on his face…

"Sire! Sire! We're under attack!"

"What? What's happening?" Marth questioned…

"Several foes cut down the guards outside and in the halls! They're coming this way n-"

An arrow coming from an unknown opponent silenced the soldier, the missile embedding itself deep into his neck.

"Everyone! To arms at once!" Jeigan called out, and we immediately drew our weapons.

"C'mon, boys! It's time to gut that prince!" one of the thugs beckoned his comrades…

They're targeting the prince? I can't let them succeed! Marth, Sheeda, and Elice need to be kept out of this scuffle!

A few thieves rushed into the room, so I immediately directed Luke and Ryan to engage them. Ryan quickly shot at the thieves, killing one and crippling another, so Luke finished off the weakened opponent with a quick sword slice at his neck, felling him immediately.

If we can get to the source of the problem, we can quash this assassination attempt…

Rushing further down the halls, I quickly chanced upon a couple of barbarians. Cecil and I had our swords drawn, and we charged at the foes. Cecil backed away from her opponent and his slow chop and countered with a couple of thrusts. They weren't lethal, but they were able to slow him down, allowing her to land a powerful slash into his chest, fatally tearing through him.

For my part, I parried my opponent's axe and slammed the edge of my weapon into his side, slicing into him. The unbearable pain forced him to drop his weapon, allowing me to finish him with a strong thrust.

With the barbarians out of the way, I hurried to where a side entrance of the castle was to be found. However, what I saw there shocked me beyond belief…

It was… Katarina? What was she doing?

"Katarina!" I called to her, "What are you doing here? Get to safety now!"

When she saw me, her eyes narrowed and she raised her hands at me…

What the hell! Yow!

I barely managed to get out of the way as massive balls of fire were shot at me. She immediately exited the castle.

"Stop!"

It took me several minutes, but I eventually found where the mage was… however, she wasn't alone.

Who the heck is that mask-wearing guy…? He's huge!

And there was a female sniper with them too… she looked awfully sure of herself.

"We should've known your assassination plan wouldn't be good enough." The giant berserker berated, "You underestimated their power…"

"I… I'm sorry, Roro…" she said disappointedly, "It's just-"

"Enough, Eine." The sniper silenced her, "We'll return to the hideout and try again another day."

Wait a second… Katarina… she's an assassin? What the heck is going on here?

Why would she do this? I… I trusted her, damn it! She double-crossed us… all of us!

"Roro… Kuraine… I… I'm sorry."

The berserker, Roro, suddenly lifted a hand to silence her…

"Someone is watching us." He said, before muttering some kind of incantation.

What the… ah!

Before my eyes, a dark plume of smoke erupted in front of me. When the smoke cleared, an exact living replica of the berserker was standing in front of me, eyes glaring hatefully down at me…

"Spying on us, are you? We're afraid we can't allow that."

Before I could raise my weapon to attack, he grabbed me by my neck and lifted me off the ground, disarming me immediately. Struggling in futility, I was dragged over to the real Roro, Kuraine, and Katarina… or whatever her name really is.

Dropped carelessly on the seat of my pants, I gasped out to the mage… "Katarina… why? You… turned your… coat… on us… all of… ungh…"

"I… I was never on your side to begin with…" She hesitantly replied.

"I'll bet you feel foolish now, don't you?" Kuraine smirked at my torment.

"So… the stories we've heard of Marth having a close ally were true…" Roro noted, "Your capabilities were certainly not exaggerated."

Nngh! Gah!

I was lifted up from behind by Roro's double…

"Had it not been for you and your friends, our assassination would've been a grand success."

Still wanting to fight back, I shouted back, "Who… sent you… bastards? Who are… you working for!"

"You take us for fools, boy?" Roro scoffed, "You've no reason to know that… because now you're time has expired. Prepare to face unending agony…"

I looked towards Katarina, wordlessly pleading for her to get him to release me. She never registered my request…

"She's not going to help you, fool." Kuraine arrogantly told me, "Now take your punishment like a man!"

The original Roro cracked his knuckles as the copy tightened his hold on me. This was not going to be pleasant…

In seconds, I reeled back in pain as Roro's fist smashed the left side of my jaw, then my head snapped the other way when he did the same thing to the right side. Another punch, and one of my eyes were blackened. His fist smashed into my face once more, and I screamed out in agony as I felt the bones in my nasal area snap on impact.

Next, his fist slammed into my stomach, knocking the air – and blood – out of my system. His body blows continued until his fifth punch, when I heard the dull snap of rib bones breaking inside me…

"AAAAAGGGGGHHHH!"

Yes, it was definitely as painful as it sounded from my now worked-over mouth.

Fortunately, my torture was put to rest, when the sounds of my friends hurrying outside to get me out of there. Roro and the mage immediately took notice of this, and so he dispelled his double, and grabbed me by the collar himself…

"I'll let you go this time, boy… but rest assured, the next time we meet… your life will be at an end. Remember that."

With that, he slammed his fist into my body once more, and then sent me flying several feet back with one final punch to my chin. Dazed with pain, I couldn't move at all… it hurt too much to even think…

I felt my consciousness cutting in and out… and before everything went black, I could hear people shouting my name…

XXXXXXXXXX

Ungh… ow…

"Is h… ing to… kay?"

"I… n't… w. He's… en out… r fi… urs."

Nngh…

Slowly but surely, I began to wake up from my sleep… unfortunately, the pain in my body jumpstarted the process, and I winced as I struggled to sit back up. That berserker did a number on me, and I'm sure it showed…

I looked around, seeing that Marth, Sheeda, Elice, Jeigan, and the entire 7th platoon was looking down at me.

"What… happened?" I asked slowly, pain flaring up in my mouth as I moved it…

"Chris…" Marth began, "You're alive… thank goodness."

"Yes, but… the assassins… they got away…"

"Don't speak, Chris. Save your strength…" Sheeda told me, "That masked man would've killed you if he kept beating on you like he was. We were lucky we found you before he decided to finish you."

"Katarina… she… she betrayed us all…" I looked down sadly as I said this.

"Yes, we've heard as such." Jeigan noted, "She seemed suspicious, but we genuinely believed she wanted to join us. I still find it hard to believe she was one of the assassins…"

Rody piped in, "But what I don't get is where they came from. Why were they targeting the prince?"

Ryan timidly added, "Do you think… they might try again?"

Jeigan looked down gravely, "I don't know… but I fear that this may not be the last we see of them. We'll need to be on our guard at all times from this point forward."

Cecil then came up to me, "You should rest, captain. It may be a while before you can battle again…"

"Don't need… to tell me… twice… heh." I weakly grinned, before finally nodding off to sleep once again. The others left the room shortly after…

We successfully stopped the assassination, but many questions still plagued me in my sleep.

Where did these assailants come from? Who were they working for? Why did they want Marth dead?

I shuddered slightly, for fear that I may not like the answers to these questions.

In my mind, I swore to get to the bottom of this assassination plot, and crush them at their source…

However, I would not yet realize that this new goal in my mind would lead me down another road of strife and conflict… and it would be far more perilous than even my previous journey with prince Marth.

Only time would tell in the end if I had what it took to see it through.

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER**

_Whew! This interlude is now finished!_

_Sorry about the length everyone, but I wanted to cover all the important aspects of the new prologue that I could. Here's hoping I did alright…_

_As per usual, I accept any reviews or commentary that you might have to offer._

_Until next time, farewell._


	17. A Trip to Grust

_**DISCLAIMER: **__Fire Emblem is the property of Nintendo and Intelligent Systems, so I own absolutely nothing… except for the OC in this fic._

_***REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_**ExposedWiresExposedVeins: **__Good to hear, especially since I had little to go on. As always, I'll keep it up!_

_***END REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_**NOTE: **__From this point forward, you will be seeing date and time placements in the italicized entries in the story. This is to make it more like a journal entry, much like what my OC writes when he records what happens in each battle._

_I'm not exactly sure how time is told in these games, but this is how I plan on doing it from now on, so bear with me on this._

_Okay! Now let the story commence once again!_

* * *

**CHAPTER 15**

**A Trip to Grust**

_Five years…_

_For five long, bloody years, the great war against the malevolent Doluna Empire raged on. Lives were ended, homes were destroyed, and the flames of conflict scorched the entire continent…_

_It wasn't until the destruction of the Earth Dragon King, Medeus, that the fires of war were finally extinguished. This brutal conflict would go down in history as the "War of Shadows"._

_The Akaneian League, brave knights, warriors, and heroes united under the Fire Emblem, split apart to return to their homelands and restore their respective nations from the destruction that the war had wrought upon their land. The effort put into the restoration processes would be exhausting…_

_All of the continent's seven kingdoms had suffered heavily from this fierce struggle, but of these seven, Gra and Grust were utterly annihilated._

_This war even forced Akaneia, the greatest of the seven kingdoms, to undergo the restoration process._

_But then… although the realm was still reeling from the war, a grand ceremony had taken place. The younger brother of the King of Aurelis, Hardin, was married to Akaneia's remaining princess, Nyna. Once they had been wed, Hardin would ascend to the throne to become Akaneia's 24__th__ king. Reactions were apparently mixed, as some either supported or were apathetic about his claim to the throne, while others believed he did not deserve to rule the nation._

_In any case, Hardin did all that he could to restore the nation. He would go on to gather many knights and soldiers to restore and even maximize the kingdom's military power. The big surprise, however, was when he announced that Akaneia, and all other kingdoms beneath it, would be reorganized and named as the Holy Empire of Akaneia, with himself as emperor. Again, reactions were mixed about this move, but the empire persevered…_

_It's been a year since the War of Shadows had come to a close, and I truly believed that this continent would finally have some peace to call its own…_

_..._

_Yeah, considering there are many more pages full of writing after this one, that says a lot now, doesn't it?_

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Marth POV)**

It was just another normal day at the castle as I received a report from Chris (who was still a bit stiff from that berserker's beatdown) about all that had been going on in the outskirts of the kingdom.

"Reporting in, your highness." Chris knelt before me.

"Chris, you've no need to do that. Please rise, my friend…"

"But sire…" he replied, "I'm a knight now and I'd rather not show any disrespect…"

"Well, if you believe that…" I conceded, "What are your findings?"

The mercenary stood back up and took out a parchment, "Ah, of course… many of the outlying villages and stores are nearing completion on their reconstruction. By my estimates, I'd say it'll be another three weeks before they're fully restored."

"I see… that is excellent," I nodded, "Alright then, Chris… you are dismissed."

"Thank you, sire." He knelt again and departed from the throne room.

It had been another hour after that report, and now I was getting a bit restless. I decided to leave also, and so I left my throne to see how Malledus was doing…

Another ten minutes of walking, and I soon found his study. As usual he was reading a book on some unknown subject, but he was occasionally coughing as he did this.

"Malledus, are you busy?" I asked, knocking at the door.

"Hm? Oh, not at all, sire." He smiled back, but he was soon put in another coughing fit as he coughed into his handkerchief.

"Malledus, are you alright?"

"Sire…" He began, his face looking quite pale, "I've had this illness for a couple of months now. I'm sure it will pass soon…"

"That's what worries me, though." I countered, "You've said that it's going to pass, but you've been to every physician and healer in Altea these past months… and yet you've shown no signs of recovery."

He was silent as I made my case.

"Have you told Chris about this?"

He shook his head, "I cannot tell my grandson… I know he cares deeply about me, but he cannot be shirking his duties now that he was sworn into your service…"

After coughing some more for a few seconds, he continued…

"Besides sire… those assassins that tried to kill you… I fear that they may only be a part of something much bigger than any of us may realize. I want you two to be ready if it may come time to confront them again…"

"Malledus, please… Chris needs to know about you…"

"No, sire… as much as it may hurt to do this, he is a knight now. I can't let him throw away his aspirations just because of me and this sickness. Please… just stay silent about this…"

I really wanted to reject his request, but he seemed to have a point. I nodded, and left him to his studies…

These assassins… could he be serious about them being part of a much larger threat?

With these thoughts on my mind, I returned to the throne room, where Jeigan and another man were waiting.

"Ah, good to see you again, sire… where were you?" Jeigan asked me.

"I was speaking to Malledus…" I hesitantly replied, "He's still sick from some kind of cough."

"Hm…"

"So who do you have here, Jeigan?"

"Ah, yes… this is Arran, sire. You sent a request a few months ago for him to take command of Altea's forces."

"Then… is he here to accept?"

The paladin answered for Jeigan, "Yes, sire. I was once a commander in another nation, so I believe I have the experience needed for this task."

I nodded, "I see… well, it's good to have you with us, Sir Arran."

Then, the door opened once again, as Chris returned to the throne room.

"Sire! I just… who're you?" he looked toward Arran, so I introduced him.

"Chris, this is Arran. He's going to be the new commander of our forces." Jeigan answered for me.

"New commander?" he parroted.

"Correct…" Arran answered, "And you are?"

"My name is Christopher, Sir Arran, but I generally go by Chris." He replied, "I'm the captain of Altea's 7th battalion."

"Really? And at such a young age too…" Arran marveled.

"Yes, well… would you mind telling me a little bit about yourself?"

Arran nodded and they both left the room…

"Arran does look like a capable leader…"

"Yes…" Jeigan nodded, "However, he's lately come down with some kind of illness eerily similar to that of Malledus. He might hold out longer since he's younger, but I don't expect his capabilities to be as good as they should be…"

"So it seems…" I noted, "But we still need a commander for our forces. We'll just have to make sure that we keep an eye on him…"

My wanderings soon found me at a balcony off to the north. Sheeda…

She was obviously waiting for me here, and she smiled beautifully when I came into view.

"Marth! You're here!" She said as she came up to me. A loving embrace, which I naturally reciprocated, soon followed…

"Yes…" I smiled back, "You know, the citizens are really happy to have you with them. They've even gossiped about how well we fit together…"

"I've heard." Sheeda replied, "Oh, Marth… I can hardly wait. In four days, we'll finally be wed!"

"I know what you mean." I replied.

Much time and preparation went into the ceremonies that were to take place four days from now. Sleepless nights were not uncommon for me because of this…

Then, I noticed Sheeda grow a bit anxious…

"Marth… those assassins that were coming for you…" she began, a trace of fear evident in her voice, "Have there been any more attacks since then?"

"No…" I clarified, "Chris has been personally investigating the matter, but he hasn't been too successful in finding any clues."

"Oh…" Sheeda looked disappointed, "I understand… it's just, I fear that they might try again, and you'll…"

She trailed off at this point, not wanting to think about what would happen.

"You musn't worry, Sheeda." I encouraged her, "I'm sure nothing will happen… and even if something does, we have our friends and comrades to help!"

"You… you're right." Sheeda replied, cheering up some, "As long as we have our friends, we should be alright."

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Jeigan POV)**

Off in the distance, I noticed Marth and Sheeda interacting together, and a small smile crept to my face.

Everyone always said that she was a perfect match for him, and I was inclined to agree.

"Sire! Where are you?"

Hm?

A soldier was busy scouring the hallways looking for the prince. There looked to be some kind of parchment in his hand. I calmly approached him and questioned the man.

"Hold, soldier. What is your hurry?"

"Ah… Lord Jeigan! A letter from Emperor Hardin just arrived here! The messenger said that it is urgent and that Prince Marth receives this letter immediately!"

"Emperor Hardin?" I pressed further, "What does this message say?"

"I'm not at liberty to say, sir… I'm just telling you what I know."

"I see…" I nodded, then replied, "I'll take the message to him. You may return to your post."

"Yes Sir!" he saluted and returned to the gates.

With the message in hand, I decided to take a look…

What's this? An imperial order…?

Hm…

I frowned as I read the letter in its entirety. Marth was not going to be happy about this…

Closing the letter, I proceeded onward, eventually finding the prince and his bride-to-be returning to the throne room.

"Jeigan? What's the matter? You look troubled…" Sheeda questioned.

"It's nothing, princess. Actually, there is a letter for the prince I just received."

"A letter? For me?" Marth questioned.

I nodded and handed him the parchment. As Marth looked it over, I could see the confusion and disappointment come to his face…

"Gah… why now?" I heard him mutter.

"Marth? Are you alright?" Sheeda questioned.

The prince faced her and shook his head, "Sheeda, I'm sorry… our marriage will have to be postponed."

"What?" she sounded surprised, "But why?"

"This letter was an imperial order from the emperor." Marth explained, "It would seem an insurrection is breaking out in Grust and I have to go and investigate what's happening."

"Oh, I see…" she said, disheartened to hear this news.

"Jeigan, summon Arran, Gordin, Draug, and the 7th platoon to the throne room. They'll be coming with us on this matter."

"At once, sire." I nodded, and departed for the barracks.

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

It was a couple of hours since my charges and I returned to the castle after patrolling the villages for any bandit activity. As usual, no sign of thugs were to be had…

I myself was looking out for any potential assassins. I had my guard up the whole time while I was out, much to everyone's confusion.

Then, the doors to our quarters flew open, and Jeigan was there…

"Commander Jeigan?" I questioned, "What happened?"

"Christopher, Prince Marth requests that you and your colleagues come to the throne room immediately. Something has come up…"

"Seriously?" Luke piped up, "Like what?"

"I cannot say…" the elderly paladin replied, "Please, come this way!"

"You heard the man! Let's get moving!" I called to everyone.

With that, all five of us hurried into the throne room, where Marth, Arran, Gordin, and Draug were waiting.

"Thank you all for coming everyone." Marth told us, then began briefing us on what was to come.

It would seem that Grust has begun a rebellion and that Akaneia's occupation force needs backup to help suppress this insurrection. All of us listened carefully to the prince, and it wasn't long before he wrapped up his briefing.

"…so now we must travel to Grust. I hope everyone will pack sufficiently for this mission."

Once we've been dismissed, the 7th platoon and I returned to our quarters to get our supplies. Luke seemed to be pretty excited.

"Alright! Now we're finally going to see some action!"

"Yeah, you could say that…" I responded as I strapped my headband on, "But don't get over-confident. That'll just get you killed faster."

"Yeah, yeah…" Luke mumbled.

"Do… do you think we'll be able to do our part?" Ryan questioned.

"Well, there's only one way to find out…" Cecil replied.

Once our goods were in order, we left our chambers…

"Guys, go meet Prince Marth at the gates. I've something I need to do first…"

"Understood, captain…" Rody nodded and led everyone to the gates.

I ended up finding my grandfather's office and opened the door, expecting to see him working hard like he normally does… but he was actually asleep in his bed.

Quietly, I said this to him before I departed…

"Grandpa… I have to leave now. My charges and I have a mission to complete. You've taught me everything I know about war tactics and leadership skills… now it's time I put them all to the test. That is why…"

I stopped for a second to think of what else to say…

"That is why I must ask that you pray for us and our safety in this endeavor. Farewell, grandpa… I hope to be back soon."

Having said my thoughts, I departed from the office and met with the rest of my colleagues at the gates.

"About time you showed up, captain! We were gonna leave without you!" Luke called out.

"Well, I'm here now, so let's get moving!" I replied.

Now it was time to depart to Grust… to complete the mission given to us.

XXXXXXXXXX

_**DATE: March 5  
TIME: 5:41 PM  
LOCATION: Grust, Rebel Headquarters**_

_Like I said before, it's already been a year since the War of Shadows finally ended._

_With Prince Marth at the helm, Altea was restored from the destruction that the war had caused. It took a lot of time to handle the reconstruction, but progress was flowing smoothly._

_Jeigan decided to take over as the prince's tactician and mentor in all affairs for his rule, but as a close friend and associate to the prince, I too was able to offer advice when the opportunity came._

_As a platoon captain, I made sure that all of my subordinates were properly trained for when things got rough. The job wasn't too difficult, though keeping them in line was a big responsibility._

_Sheeda of Talys was wholeheartedly welcomed into Altea, and was fully supported in her announcement to wed Marth. I've been around to see the love they held for one another, so I was happy for the both of them._

_Unfortunately, this joyous occasion would have to wait._

_Marth had ended up receiving a letter from the emperor himself. The imperial order from the emperor was written as follows:_

"_**Prince Marth of Altea,**_

_**A massive insurrection has recently broken out in the kingdom of Grust, taking our occupation forces by surprise. The rebels have become too powerful for our own forces to contain them.**_

_**I have now called upon you to subdue this rebellion. This mission will require that you send your most able forces to combat the rebels and suppress this uprising.**_

_**Look for General Lang of the occupation forces when you arrive. He will have more information on the matter.**_

_**Signed,**_

_**Emperor Hardin of Akaneia"**_

_Since Akaneia was the suzerain nation to our kingdom, we were left with little choice on the matter, so Marth would have to put Sir Cain in charge of defending Altea._

_As for the rest of us, it's off to Grust we go. Sure hope this mission doesn't take too long._

_-Chris_

XXXXXXXXXX

It took us about 8 days before we made our way to Grust. The trip was fairly uneventful for all of us.

Once we got to Grust's inland, I decided to see what was troubling Jeigan…

"Um, commander? Is there a problem?"

"Oh, Christopher…" he noticed, "It's nothing… just, something about that imperial order seemed… off for some reason."

"How do you mean?"

Jeigan thought for a minute before responding, "After Grust was brought down in the previous war, Akaneia now has the most powerful military on the continent… yet this order claimed that the rebels have been taking the occupation force by surprise…"

"Commander, we've fought enemy forces using only a fraction of their numbers before. If we could pull something off like that, what's to say that these rebels can't?"

Jeigan was silently contemplating this…

"I'm sure whoever this Lang person is, he might know more about this situation." I concluded.

He nodded and we continued on our way. It would take us another hour before we finally reached the area where the rebels were supposedly holed up in. The outlying areas, where destitution and ruin was most evident, were crawling with bandits, but we were far enough away to avoid getting their attention…

"Looks like we're here, sire. I can see an old fortress just to the northwest." I told the prince as I scanned the area with my spyglass.

"Could that be the headquarters we were told about?" Marth questioned.

"Possibly…"

Jeigan soon came near, "Sire, General Lang is here to speak with us…"

Putting away my spyglass, Marth, Jeigan, and I looked over to see a bald, bearded man (probably in his 50's if I had to take a guess) in heavy armor approaching us. When he laid eyes on us, his look began to resemble something of a sneer.

"Well, well… so you're Lord Marth and company, are you?"

Marth calmly replied, "We are, general. Now what is the situation down there?"

Lang, the general, responded, "We've got the situation under control for right now, prince. Most of the rebels have been silenced, but since you're here now, I'll leave the job of capturing the fortress and defeating the rebel's leader, General Lorenz, in your hands."

Woah, hold on a second…

General Lorenz was responsible for this insurrection? What's going on here?

Marth, just as surprised as most of us, voiced my thoughts, "General Lorenz is the rebel leader? But why would he do something like that…?"

Lang shrugged, "I cannot fathom why… but the fact remains that he is hiding Grust's royal children."

At this he scoffed arrogantly…

"That fool… he must've believed that his rebellion would win out and he'd be able to restore Grust from its destruction."

Now he turned serious again…

"Your mission is to eliminate General Lorenz and retrieve the royal children. As for myself, my forces will pursue any stragglers. Those Grustian fools will rue the day they opposed Akaneia!" He bellowed that last line.

Geez, what's with this guy?

"Hey, general…" I called him out, attempting to keep my temper in check, "Just what are you hoping to do around here?"

When he looked my way, his eyes narrowed… "Boy, you've got nerve thinking you can speak to me as though we're equals. Why should I tell you anything?"

All of us gave him a look at that remark.

"Hmph… well, if you must know…"

A sinister smirk crossed his face, "The families of the rebels will be eliminated by my forces, and all villages tied to the rebels will all be razed to the ground. That will teach them not to rebel against the empire!"

A haughty laugh escaped his lips, "Their devastated expressions will surely be a sight to see!"

Grr… that heartless piece of…

Try as I might, a little anger escaped from my thoughts, "You would willingly harm innocent people to stop a rebellion? What the hell's wrong with you!"

"It doesn't concern you, urchin!" he bellowed back at me, then sneered at us again.

"Now, Lord Marth, you would do well to follow my commands without questions on this matter…" Lang glared, "Unless you're thinking of rebelling also."

Marth shook his head, "Of course we aren't."

"Then you'd best remember who's in charge here." Lang rudely responded, and then added, "Let's get one thing straight, prince. As far as I'm concerned, all you are is the prince of a pathetic little nation, and Akaneia can charge in and destroy you all at any given moment. Don't you forget this, whelp!"

With that, Lang turned on his heel and left the area, leaving us to take in his slight against us…

"Real piece of work, that general…" I grumbled. I was sorely tempted to shut his mouth permanently at several points in his rant, but that would likely cost me my position and our alliance with Akaneia…

Marth, however, was in utter disbelief, "I don't understand… Jeigan, how come Emperor Hardin has handed this country over to that man? He's not fit to run this nation with that behavior…"

"I'm not sure, sire… but I do know some unsavory details about him." Jeigan explained.

"What would that be?" I questioned.

"The truth of the matter is that General Lang is a former noble of Akaneia. The reason his peerage was taken from him was because he was a sympathizer for Doluna when they took over the kingdom. Opinions of him sank further when it was revealed that he stole from other villages to add to his already vast wealth."

I shook my head in disgust when I heard all of this… what a corrupt piece of trash…

"This is insane! How the hell did he get a place at the emperor's side, much less approval to occupy this country?"

"That I do not know, Christopher." Jeigan answered, "But if he has control here, then it's a safe assumption that he's continuing his dastardly ways here."

"Jeigan… I cannot approve of this mission. We need to inform Hardin of what's really happening here. More innocent people will die if this persists!" Marth exclaimed, but Jeigan shook his head at this.

"Sire, yours and Christopher's outrages are perfectly understandable, but this rebellion needs to be sorted out first."

Jeigan looked toward the fortress…

"We must figure out a way to assist General Lorenz on this matter. If we can speak to the citizens here, we should learn more about what has been happening in this country. After that, it all comes down to speaking with the general himself…"

"I don't think the rebels know we're not their enemy, Jeigan…"

"Don't worry, sire." Jeigan explained, "It appears as though most of the rebels are gone now, so all we'll have to do is seek out Lorenz and the children."

As Jeigan looked toward the fields, he could see that only bandits were roaming the area…

"Seems as though these bandits have taken advantage of the confusion here to raid the villages, but they shouldn't prove too difficult. Arran would be more than a match for any of them…"

I piped in at this point…

"Actually commander, if I may make a suggestion… let my platoon and I handle these thugs. We've bested bandits before back home, so these guys should be easy as pie."

"Christopher, are you sure? They might not be strong enough to handle them…"

"Commander, just trust us… my grandfather taught me all I know about war tactics. I'm positive I have what it takes to manage them effectively. Besides, I can help you out in that field as well, if you and Lord Marth will permit me…"

Jeigan considered this for a minute before nodding…

"Very well… you'll help with the planning as well."

"Great!"

Marth nodded, "Alright then, Jeigan and Chris. We'll handle this mission together!"

"7th platoon, move out now!" I called them all to arms and so we charged into the field…

Alright… it's been a while since I've been in live combat. Time to give it all I've got!

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Marth POV)**

And so, our forces sprang into action as they engaged the bandits, doing whatever they could to stop their atrocities.

"Eh? These punks are moving into our turf! Let's get 'em, boys!" a bandit cried out.

With my rapier drawn, I ducked under one of the bandit's axe swings and thrusted twice to put down the foe. As I looked back up, another bandit was charging my way, but he was stopped cold when Gordin and Ryan plugged him with arrows. With one in his neck and the other in his head, he was quick to collapse…

Chris seemed to be directing his squadron safely, getting in on the action himself as needed. His and Luke's combined swordplay dropped a couple of bandits before they could target another village. Rody and Cecil also had no trouble as they cleared away a few hunters.

With the area mostly clear now, I decided to take a look around the area. Many homes surrounded the outlying villages, but a lot of them were in poor repair.

A bystander exited one of the homes, but her eyes widened in horror when she saw our forces. I had to call out quickly to keep her from running away.

"Wait, please! We're not your enemy!"

The elderly lady stopped and hesitantly turned my way again…

"B-But you're from the empire…"

"Well, I suppose we are… but please, we don't know the whole story of what's happened to this country. What has gone on…?"

The matron looked surprised at what I had just said…

"You really haven't been told? It's been horrible…" she began, "After the War of Shadows ended, Princess Nyna of Akaneia entrusted Grust to the care of General Lorenz… but after Hardin became the emperor, Lorenz was stripped of his power and General Lang and his men were sent here to replace him…"

"What…? But how could that be?"

"The only thing I have heard was that the late king's two children, Prince Yubello and Princess Yumina, were entrusted to Lorenz after Wendell of Khadein rescued them. The general was hoping to raise them here in Grust secretly…"

The old lady turned away sorrowfully…

"But the emperor… he somehow learned of their existence, and demaded that Lorenz hand the children over. Lorenz was hoping to hide them away, because he was sure Emperor Hardin would kill them."

What? I… I can't understand… why would he do this?

As she noticed my shocked and confused expression, she continued, "It gets much worse… after Lorenz's rule was shut down, Lang began committing many heinous atrocities…"

She was struggling to stay strong…

"Lang… he stole everything from us. Our money, food, clothes, and even our loved ones… don't you see? This is why we had to rebel… but now, it's over. Lang will destroy us all and Grust will never recover…"

This… this is unbelievable! Why would the emperor do something like this? It doesn't make any sense!

Seeing that the elderly lady was close to tears, I quickly spoke up…

"Do not worry. We'll get this sorted out and see if we can get some answers. Just hurry back home and let our forces handle the bandits outside…"

"Oh… thank you. Bless all of you…"

She hurried inside the house, and the clicking that soon followed told me the door was now locked.

That woman… she's given me a lot to ponder… yet there are still too many unanswered questions to be asked…

I'll have to think about it later, though…

For now, I decided to handle the bandits around here, so I raced in to do battle with a barbarian approaching me. He didn't have much training in combat, so I simply backed away to avoid his axe and quickly rushed in to stab him. As I turned to take out another bandit, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Chris was heading inside a village to secure it…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

After directing everyone to stay put outside and handle what was left of the bandits, I immediately went into a village to secure the area. While I was there, however, I noticed a young girl hiding behind an elderly lady. Curiously, I approached them, but they backed away anxiously…

"What's the matter?" I asked them.

"Please… don't take this girl." The old lady pleaded, "She's only 10 years of age, and she hasn't even completed her training as a cleric…"

Oh, so that's what this was about…

While browsing through here I learned that imperial soldiers have been taking young girls into custody. Lang himself even took part in this, mainly either to execute them or… ugh…

I shook my head in disgust… I'm REALLY not liking this Lang fellow.

"Listen, that's not why I'm here, ma'am. I'm just here to warn you all that a fight has broken out outside. I must ask that you all get to safety at once…" I set the record straight.

"But… but aren't a soldier to the empire?" the elderly woman questioned.

"Well… we do serve them, yes… but we didn't come looking for a fight." I attempted to explain, "Look, whatever it is you want, just ask us. We want to help you…"

Apparently, the girl now realized I wasn't a threat, as she stepped out from behind the lady…

Woah… if this girl is really 10 years old, then she must be an early bloomer or something!

"Wait… please, I want to go with you." The girl spoke.

"Um… sure, but… are you sure you're only 10?" I questioned her.

The girl explained, "In truth, I've already come of age… I am actually 15. However, my grandma had to vouch for my identity so that the soldiers wouldn't take me away… but I know if I continue to hide here, I will eventually be caught by them, those… those beasts!"

"I see… but are you really sure you want to join?"

"Yes… I saw your prince… he had very kind eyes. I know I'll be safe in your country…"

She then turned to the old lady…

"Please, grandma? Can I go to Altea with them?"

The elder woman, apparently her grandmother, nodded, "Of course, Malliesia… you'll surely be in better protection under their custody." After that, she turned to me, "I ask this of you, sir knight. Please protect this girl from the imperial soldiers… she could even be betrothed to your prince if he wishes. Heavens know she would make a fine wife…"

The girl, Malliesia, huffed indignantly, but the blush on her face was pretty noticeable…

"It's far too early for that, grandma! Honestly, Malliesia wouldn't be ready for such a thing yet…"

I chuckled at this little exchange…

"Well, Malliesia, it's good to have you with us! We'll be counting on you to assist us as needed!" I welcomed her.

"Yes! Malliesia won't let you down!"

Huh… well, she may be 15, but she still seems pretty childish outwardly…

We were on our way out of the village, and Marth soon noticed Malliesia trailing behind me.

"Chris? Who do you have there?"

"Oh, uhm…" I was about to introduce her, but she beat me to it…

"My name is Malliesia, Lord Marth…" she began, her face flaring up a little to my amusement, "This knight spoke with my grandmother and she requested that I be put under your care. Please, take Malliesia with you!"

Marth raised an eyebrow at her statement, but agreed to give her protection.

"Sire!" Draug (Marth's most trusted general) called out, "The outlying areas have just been cleared. There are no more brigands roaming around now."

"Excellent…" Marth commented, "Now let's make for the fortress! We must get this matter settled with General Lorenz, and quickly!"

And so, we made haste through a short mountain pass. It would take about a half-hour before we would make it over there…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Lorenz POV, 32 minutes ago)**

Aagh… how… how did it come to this?

Lang, that cad… how much more suffering must my people endure before the empire is satisfied?

I suffered heavily because of that man… taking many injuries just to repel the empire's occupation forces…

From the fortress gates, I scouted for any more enemy reinforcements, using the broken shaft of my lance to support myself… but when I laid eyes on the banner they were flying, it filled me with shock.

'_W-What? Now even Altea wants to wreak havoc on my homeland as well?' _I thought to myself…

Ogma, King Mostyn's most trusted subordinate, came out of the hallway. He looked grimly when he noticed my bewildered expression.

"Sir Ogma, I'm afraid it's now come to this point. The empire's reinforcements will be upon us soon…" I gasped, "I beg your forgiveness for dragging you into this conundrum, but… I've one last request I need to ask."

"Don't fret over it, general…" Ogma waved it off, "This was why King Mostyn wanted me to help you. Now what's this request you have?"

I coughed a little bit before I began, a little blood dripping down my beard as I spoke…

"Take the royal children to Medon, where Wendell should still be residing…" I began, "These children are the only future Grust has now… and if that Lang cad gets his hands on them, they'll be executed for sure…"

"You don't have to worry, general. They'll be safe in my hands…"

"Oh… thank you. Agh…" I groaned as pain flared up again, then turned to the children, "Prince Yubello… Princess Yumina… it is time. Go and travel with Sir Ogma!"

However, the young princess shook her head furiously.

"No! I'm not leaving you, Lorenz… If we are to escape from here, you must come too!"

"Princess Yumina…" I gasped out, "It's not possible for me to go with you… I've taken too many injuries… I can't travel too far now. You two must survive this, so go now…!"

Although she was strong-willed, Yumina was still a child, and so she was struggling to keep a bold front, "How can you say such a thing…? You fought to protect us, Lorenz… and you suffered such a grave wound for our sake. We can't just leave you to suffer like this!"

Ogma was perplexed at this situation. When Yumina was like this, she stuck by her word, stubbornly refusing to listen to reason…

"Well, what do we do now, general?" the mercenary asked.

"Hmm… well, this could be a problem." I noted weakly, "Yumina won't want to leave. I… I guess you'll have to depart, Sir Ogma… please forgive me."

Ogma nodded, "If you say so, general, but don't worry. I'll see if I can find another way to help. Lang, I'll make him suffer for the atrocities he's committed here… if I can take him down, maybe that will drive out the occupational forces."

He turned to see the enemy forces drawing closer.

"General Lorenz, you've got to live on to see that day come, so be careful!"

With that, he hustled out of the area…

Struggling to stay upright, I boldly stood before the gates as Prince Marth and his men descended upon me…

As the prince approached me, another familiar face was trailing behind him…

"Heh… well, I'm surprised to see you two, Prince Marth and Sir Christopher… you two have grown quite a bit since I had seen you last."

Christopher was in shock however, at what I had been put through…

"General Lorenz! Are you alright? Geez… you've suffered grave wounds here!"

"It's nothing, lad… although…" I rasped out, "I… I never expected to see you two again, at least not on the opposing side of the field… such a shame that we have to clash against one another like this…"

But before I could raise my lance (well, what was left of it anyway)…

"Woah, hold on!" Christopher interrupted, "We're not looking to fight you! Please, hear us out first!"

Marth continued, "The citizens have told us just what the occupational forces have done here in this country, and it must be brought to the emperor's attention. Let me speak to Emperor Hardin about this on your behalf… that way, Grust might still have a future."

I shook my head in shame, as these poor boys didn't know what has been happening recently…

"Prince Marth…" I weakly coughed out, "Your offer, while appreciated… is a fool's errand. The real problem is the emperor… ungh."

"What are you saying?" Christopher questioned.

"Think about it… Why would Hardin send such a despicable person like Lang here… if he didn't want to goad Grust into rebelling…?"

"No… you don't mean…" the mercenary started, but I cut him off…

"Yes… by inciting this insurrection, it would further weaken the nation's sovereignty and allow for the empire to take over…" I answered for him, "Do you see now…? This was why he sent such a sinister man to this place…"

Marth and Christopher were in disbelief. This was a tough tale to swallow, but it was the truth…

"Now why the hell would he do this? From what I've seen before, Hardin was a man of good character…" Christopher stated.

"He's right… I can't believe Hardin would do something like this. He's not that kind of man…" Marth added.

I shook my head…

"I… I suspected that you wouldn't believe me immediately… but that is the truth of the matter." I slowly told them, "Hardin… ever since he became emperor, he's completely changed… you may not even recognize him anymore if you see him again."

A little bit more blood trickled out of my mouth as I continued…

"There's one thing that I must ask of you…"

"What is it, general?" Christopher questioned.

"Grust's royal children, Prince Yubello and Princess Yumina, are both hidden in the fortress… you must protect them from the empire… and if you can do that, then I won't have any regrets…"

"General Lorenz? What are you saying?" Marth asked me, not yet aware that I had pulled a dagger from my sleeve…

"For the sake of this kingdom, Prince Marth… I leave its future… in your hands now…"

With that, before anyone realized what was about to happen, I turned the small blade on myself as the point of the dagger pierced my already battered armor and went straight through my chest. Collapsing to the ground, blood pooled from all around me, as everything around me went black…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Marth POV)**

All of us were in great shock upon seeing General Lorenz finish himself off like that…

"General… why?" I sadly questioned, "Why would you do this…?"

"He was gravely wounded, sire…" Jeigan answered for me, "This might've been a way to put an end to his suffering immediately…"

I stood silent at this answer…

"Sire, the children are in the fortress… we must search for them, and soon!" the elder paladin jarred me back onto the task at hand.

"Oh, of course… everyone, search the premises."

At once, we scoured the fortress top to bottom to search for the children… and it didn't take us too long to pinpoint their hiding place…

"Sire!" Rody called out, "I found them! They're in this room over here!"

Immediately, Chris and I hustled to where Rody was and opened the door…

A young boy and girl, approximately 13 to 14 years of age, were holed up in the room. While the boy was looking at us fearfully, the girl was putting up a brave front as he glared at all of us, a dagger in her little hands…

"You two… are you Prince Yubello and Princess Yumina?" I asked them.

"Ah… w-who are you? W-Where's General Lorenz…?" the boy, Yubello, fearfully asked.

"I'm sorry… but the general… he's gone." Chris looked down shamefully.

"You… you fiends!" the girl, Yumina, shouted at us, "You are the ones who killed him, aren't you?"

"Wait, no!" Chris hastily replied, but she wasn't listening as she raised the knife…

"Don't get near us! We'll… we'll kill ourselves if you try anything!"

"No! You've got it all wrong!" I tried to calm her down, "Put down the dagger, please!"

This was bad… Yumina wasn't going to come with us… and it was doubtful that Yubello would either.

But then… things just got a lot worse…

A rough shove from a certain general knocked us out of the way, and Chris stumbled to the floor. Lang turned to address me as Chris was getting back up.

"So… you Alteans have some use after all. I should thank you for finding the children for me."

"Wait a minute… General Lang, please." I pleaded with the general, "These children have done no wrong, so just let us take care of them!"

The general scoffed, "Don't be so naïve, prince. These children are prisoners of war, and they will be taken to my castle for execution! The people's defiance to the empire will continue if these little whelps aren't put to death immediately!"

I noticed Chris tremble with rage as he said this drivel. My composure was faring a little better, but not by much…

"Grr… Lang, these children have done nothing to deserve that! You leave them alone!" Chris exclaimed, and attempted to charge at him…

"Christopher, stop this at once!" Jeigan held him back. Reluctantly, he did as he was told, but not without saying one last thing to Lang…

"Bastard…"

Lang shrugged off the mercenary's outburst and continued on, "Hmph, your soldiers need better discipline, prince… but I digress. You've another mission that must be completed at once…"

"And that is?" I eyed the general warily…

"There is another rebellion happening in Medon. Their forces have decided to revolt against their own princess, Minerva. The emperor has requested that you rescue her at once…"

Gah… another problem? I couldn't believe this…

"Listen, please…" I replied, "I will do as commanded, and rescue the princess, but… these children are innocent! We should be the ones to take care of them!"

"Have you forgotten who's in charge, whelp?" Lang glared at us, "I'm not changing my mind for some lord of an inferior kingdom! Now stand aside!"

He roughly forced his way past us, and grabbed hold of the children, who were screaming and struggling to get free…

"No! Put me down!" Yumina screamed, "Someone help!"

I attempted to call out to Lang, but he ignored us and fled the fortress, the two helpless children in his grip…

Nngh… damn it all! Why the hell is this happening!

Frustrated, I noticed Chris turn to Jeigan, "Commander, why did you hold me back? I wanted to rip that piece of trash a new one for what he's going to do to those kids! They don't deserve to have this happen to them!"

Just then, a stern look came to his face, "Christopher, calm down! If you tried to attack Lang now, not only would you likely have died, but Altea would be branded as a traitor to the empire! You're lucky he didn't decide to name us all traitors right then and there!"

He stewed in anger at this… Lang took off with them and now we can't do anything about it…

"Jeigan, please… we can't just let Lang make off with the children! They'll-"

Jeigan silenced me…

"I understand your feelings, both of you, but there's naught we can do about this now… we must go to Medon to see what has happened down there. If our luck holds, perhaps we can get help from there too."

"Nngh… fine." Chris grumbled…

It was a bitter experience for all of us, and we were not too happy about all that had happened…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

It was nightfall at the fortress, and I was busy writing down everything that had gone down in the struggles we faced when we got here.

Those poor children… those looks of fear and anger they gave us…

We failed to honor General Lorenz's request… now those kids are as good as doomed…

I haven't felt this low since… since Marth and I faced Camus that year ago…

"Captain?"

Looking up, I noticed it was Cecil approaching…

"Oh, hey Cecil…" I muttered, "Need something?"

"Are you alright? After that last battle, you looked so… forlorn."

"I'll be fine, Cecil…" I said, though that wouldn't be entirely true, "It's just that things just didn't work out like the prince and I had hoped…"

"I know what you mean…" she nodded, "That General Lang is a detestable man, yet we have to follow his commands lest we face serious repercussions from the empire…"

"Yes, and that's precisely what irks me. Those kids are going to die, and we can't do a damn thing about it." I grumbled, then added, "I'm really sorry you had to see my lack of discipline back there… I'm not much of a knight if I can't keep a lid on my temper."

"Don't dwell on it too much, captain…" she encouraged, "If it's any consolation, you had our approval when you stood up to that man."

"Heh…" I couldn't help but snicker at that…

"You should rest now… Lord Jeigan did say we'd have to leave bright and early to get to Medon."

"Okay… thanks, Cecil." I slightly smiled.

"Anytime, captain. See you in the morning!" She grinned.

With nothing left to do around here, we went to our respective rooms to turn in for the night.

But this night was going to be restless, as all I could think about was that fact that we ultimately failed to save what was left of Grust's royal family…

I really hope better days will come after this one, because we really need something to take our minds off this harsh setback.

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER**

_And there you go! This chapter is finished!_

_If you have any reviews or commentary to add, don't hesitate to do so._

_Until next time, farewell._


	18. Medonian Mayhem

_**DISCLAIMER: **__Fire Emblem is… awesome, fun, and entertaining… but it isn't mine. It's the property of Nintendo and Intelligent Systems. All I own in this story is my OC._

_***REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_**ExposedWiresExposedVeins: **__Thanks as always. Definitely more to come!_

_**Garben The Berserker: **__That's precisely what I was going for when I first wrote this. Glad to see that it has earned your approval!_

_***END REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_Now, it's time to get on with the story!_

* * *

**CHAPTER 16**

**Medonian Mayhem**

_**DATE: March 14  
TIME: 3:18 PM  
LOCATION: Some forest in Medon**_

_Although most of us weren't feeling too proud about what happened days ago, we were left with no other options on the matter, so we reluctantly decided to go investigate Medon and see what was going on down there…_

_When the War of Shadows was won, Minerva had taken the helm and decided to rule over the kingdom. She apparently noticed that there were generals that didn't seem to have the best interests of Medon in mind, as they were oppressive to the citizens, so these generals were swiftly discharged and the army would need to be reorganized._

_However, news had sprung up recently that one of these generals, Rucke, was furiously opposed to what she was planning. Once he had gathered enough soldiers (and there were a lot) to his cause, he led a coup d'état against the unprepared princess, thus resulting in her capture and Medon falling into the rebels' control…_

_With dracoknights now patrolling the forests we're about to enter, this could get messy very quickly…_

_-Chris_

XXXXXXXXXX

It was only a couple of hours since we made landfall on Medon's shores. The thick woods we needed to travel through were quite obstructive, although I did notice that there were also several stumps around the area…

"Huh… whoever chopped these trees sure knows how to work quickly…" I noted.

"Glad you admire my handiwork there, Chris."

Eh? Who's there?

Turning quickly, I witnessed an old friend come near, and so a smile came to my face…

"Cord! It's been a long time!" I greeted as I shook his hand.

"Good to see you too, kid!" he replied, "Look at you! You got all proper and joined your country's knights!"

"Yeah… it's tough, but worth the effort!" I told him, but then asked, "What about you? What're you doing all the way in Medon?"

"Well, Bord and I went back to our jobs as woodcutters back on Talys, but after a few months we decided to move to Medon to see if we could help rebuild around there."

"I see… but where's Bord?"

"His campsite is off to the east, just past this forest. I can take you to where he is if you'd like."

While we were busy chatting, Luke had soon come up behind me, "Hey, captain! Who's this guy you're talking to?"

I turned to face him, "Oh, Luke… this is Cord, an old friend of mine. He says that he can guide us to the east in Medon. Perhaps while we do this, we might be able to find Lady Minerva…"

"Eh? Princess Minerva's gone missing?" Cord sounded surprised…

"Yeah, she is…" Luke confirmed, "And it's our job to rescue her."

Cord grinned, "Well, in that case, you guys might need a hand. Let me come with you."

"What? Are you sure?" I questioned.

"Of course I am! My axe skills are still good enough to help!"

"Well, alright then…" I conceded, "It's good to have you with us again!"

With that, all of us caught up with the rest of the team. Marth was surprised to see Cord again, but he was quick to welcome him back to the group.

"Hey, captain…" Rody caught my attention, "Do you hear that?"

Hm?

I perked up my ears as we marched through the forest…

That's weird… it sounds like wings are flying above us…

"Prince Marth! Where are you?"

Hang on… I know that voice! That was… Catria?

Looking up, I was proven correct as Catria caught the prince's signal and landed near us…

"Ah… thank goodness all of you are here." She gasped…

Marth nodded, "Are you alright, Catria? Did you know about this rebellion breaking out in this realm?"

"Yes… my sister and I managed to escape, but the rebels… they have Princess Minerva! You've got to help her, Prince Marth! Her life depends on it!"

"I understand, Catria." Marth replied, "Lead us to where she is. We can handle them…"

"I will, but it won't be easy…" she answered, "There are some dracoknights loyal to Rucke patrolling these woods…"

Nngh… this is bad…

"Dracoknights…" I muttered, "We'll have to use some quick thinking to take them down. Charging them head on will only get us killed…"

"Hm… that does bode ill." Jeigan noted, "Sire, we should try to take cover in the woods. Rather than confront them directly, we'll draw them to our positions, then do away with them."

"Sounds like a good idea. We'll try it then!" Marth agreed, and so we took cover in the trees…

Of course, once a couple of soldiers noticed us nearby, they signaled for reinforcements, so Gordin and Ryan both shot the soldiers dead just as a trio of hunters stormed into the area. We had to move quickly to dodge the arrows they were firing. Luke and Rody rushed in to take out two of the hunters, while Cecil charged in a different direction, slamming her lance into an escaping thief. Her reward was a fine looking sword meant only for females to use…

Ow! Nngh!

I dropped to my knees as a couple of arrows nailed me, one in my left leg and another at my right shoulder. As I fell, I noticed it was a blond hunter in a green outfit that fired those shots…

"Gah… I… I don't suppose negotiating with you is an option?" I groaned out.

"Hey, I've nothing against any of you guys, but as long as I'm getting paid…" he shrugged as he nocked another arrow to his bow, hoping to nail my head this time…

"No! Warren, stop this!"

Huh? What's happening?

As I removed the arrows from my body (a very painful experience), I witnessed Catria land near the hunter that shot me… whom I was guessing was this Warren fellow.

"Warren…" Catria started to say, "Why are you doing this? How can you betray Medon by siding with these rebels?"

"Catria… it's been a while." Warren noted, "Look, I'm simply a poor hunter. These guys promised me a good sum of gold if I worked for them."

Huh… another impoverished hunter looking for quick gold…

Catria shook her head at this answer, "Warren… this isn't right. Princess Minerva worked long and hard to ensure that all Medonians could live and work peacefully! The soldiers and generals she discharged were only working for their own selfish desires…"

"What? Seriously?" Warren dropped his bow, as I carefully applied a vulnerary to the wounds I received…

"Yes… but General Rucke has never cared about Medon or its people! The only reason he incited this rebellion was to take over the kingdom! Do you really want to serve under that kind of man?"

Hey… it looks like she's getting through to him! Great!

As I slowly stood back up, Warren replied, "Is that right…? Well, if that's the case, I'll join up with you. I'm not going to sit back and let these rebels do what they wish…"

The hunter then approached me…

"Um, yeah… sorry about earlier there, uh…"

"The name's Chris… and don't fret over it too much, Warren." I dismissed, "At least now you can fight for a good cause."

We proceeded north to engage the enemy forces as a few cavaliers raced forth. Draug and Rody speared a couple of the mounted knights, while Ryan managed to fire a lucky shot that lodged itself into a third cavalier's neck.

But then, a load roar sounded off from the skies…

In seconds, a couple of dracoknights flew into the scene, forcing us to scatter as they swooped in with their lances pointed. Catria took to the skies again to engage one of them, while our bowmen opened fire on the other one. Thankfully, the enemy wyverns were a bit slower than Catria's pegasus, so speed proved to be the deciding factor that resulted in her lance slamming through her dracoknight opponent. The other Dracoknight ended up taking many shots, Warren's arrow being the one to finish him.

"Well, that worked out pretty well…" I muttered.

However, I ended up speaking too soon there…

"Bah… those worthless idiots! Do I have to do this myself?"

Looking back up, there was yet another dracoknight flying our way, so I quickly signaled for the archers to once again open fire. Unfortunately, his wyvern was faster than the other two we faced, so he was barely scratched as the arrows scraped at him…

Now he was flying down to my level, and his axe was positioned right at my neck. I quickly ducked underneath his weapon as he passed over me. Fortunately, Cecil had returned to see this moment and hurled a javelin at the flyer, successfully nailing his arm. Now he couldn't get out of the way fast enough to dodge the arrows that were nailing him. After four or five shots, he finally fell from his mount…

"Ungh… Rucke… they're powerful…" were his last words.

"Whew…" I muttered as I wiped the sweat from my brow, "Sure hope that's all of them…"

"Indeed." Marth concurred, and so we marched into the fortress that knight was guarding to recuperate. After spending a half-hour setting up a temporary HQ here, Jeigan came into the foyer where Marth and I were resting…

"Sire, while we were busy scouring this place, we found someone held captive in this fortress… you're not going to believe who she is!"

"Send them in." Marth commanded, and so Jeigan opened the door to… woah!

It's her!

A smile soon crept to my face as I recognized who came through the door…

"Lord Marth… Chris… it's good to see you two again."

"It's been too long, Linde…" I greeted her back, "Are you doing okay?"

"Medon's soldiers did imprison me here, but it wasn't as bad as I believed it would be…" she replied, then her expression turned serious, "In any case, it's a good thing I've found you all…"

"But how come you strayed from Nyna's side to look for us, Linde? It was dangerous for you to come around these parts at a time like this…" Marth questioned.

Her expression soon turned sad… what was happening?

"About that… Lord Marth, the princess wanted me to give this to you…"

From her satchel, Linde took out… WHAT!

That… that's the sacred crest of Akaneia, the Fire Emblem!

"She wanted to give me the Fire Emblem!" Marth exclaimed, "But this is the holy symbol of Akaneia's royal family! Why would she give it to me?"

I shook my head in disbelief, "I never once thought I'd ever see this supposedly cursed crest again… but it makes no sense. If Akaneia is supposedly flourishing under Emperor Hardin's rule, why then has Lord Marth been entrusted with it once again?"

Linde shook her head, "I don't understand either… but it was the princess' wish that you receive the emblem." As she said this, she looked away…

"What bothered me however… was the fact that her eyes seemed so broken, like she had been crying heavily…"

I looked down sorrowfully, "Lady Nyna…"

Things aren't looking so hopeful if it had to come to this…

"Well… since you're here with us now, you should travel with us." Marth recommended, "It's better than going it alone…"

"I will, Lord Marth… thank you." She replied.

XXXXXXXXXX

Night soon fell as I lounged around in my temporary quarters. Having written down all that I needed to in my logbook, I was about to turn in for the night, when a few knocks sounded off on my door…

"Come in." I beckoned.

The door opened and a certain female mage came inside…

"Oh, hello again Linde." I greeted, "It's been a while since I received you last letter… what happened?"

Linde answered, "Courtly duties were taking up a lot of my time, Chris. Just months after Hardin became the emperor, I've been very busy in his council going over several issues plaguing the citizens. I've been left with little time to write back to you…"

"I see… well, much has happened since I wrote to you last…"

And so I began explaining how I made my decision to join the Altean Army officially, how I now commanded a platoon of my own, and perhaps most importantly… how I was currently investigating a particular group of assassins that had plotted to kill Marth.

"Really? Assassins?" Linde gasped, surprised to hear what I had said.

"Yes… it turned out one of the recruits was really a spy sent by some unknown entity. I've got to figure out where they came from and who's commanding them, so that they don't try it again…"

Linde's interest seemed to grow a little when I explained what happened…

"If that's the case, I'll do whatever I can to help you."

"Linde? Are you sure?"

"I am…" she replied, "You and the prince helped me once again, so now I'll help you. Just like old times, wouldn't you say?"

With a wink that Linde had given me, a slight blush hit my cheeks, "Uhm… yeah. Like old times…"

"In any case, I'll let you rest now." Linde said, "See you again in the morning."

"Yeah… good night, Linde." I replied as she left…

Geez, even after a long time, I still can't keep from getting flustered around her when she does that…

Sleep soon came over me as I went to my bed, hoping that this rebellion can be silenced soon.

XXXXXXXXXX

_**DATE: March 16  
TIME: 4:04 PM  
LOCATION: 3 miles from a keep in Medon's mountains.**_

_At sunrise, our forces marched eastward to a mountain fortress said to be run by Rucke of the rebellion. With any luck, Lady Minerva will also be there when we arrive…_

_Well, since I've got time and I'm writing this entry down, here's a little history lesson about Medon for those who might stumble upon this journal…_

_Originally, Medon's territory started out as only a province to the Doluna Empire. Naturally, this meant that dragons controlled this realm (and the rest of the continent for that matter) one century ago._

_With mankind at their mercy (or lack thereof), the dragons forced their slaves to these undeveloped woods so that they could excavate ruins and construct the realm into a habitual place. Working conditions were abysmal, as these people were rapidly killed through abuse and starvation…_

_However, one person decided he had enough of their tyrannical rule, and decided to stand opposed to these dragons. That man's name was Iote._

_With his trusted companions, they escaped these forests and fought back, using captured and trained wyverns. Some say these people are even the precursors to the infamous Dragoon squadron here in Medon…_

_Once Doluna was brought down, the once oppressed slaves decided to use this newly developed region for themselves. They hailed Iote as Medon's greatest hero, and so he became the realm's first king…_

_Thus, that is how this realm is known for its dreaded dracoknight battalions._

_Of course, a lot of things have changed since those glorious times…_

_Lord Michalis, the supposed second coming of Iote, was ultimately beaten by our forces in the War of Shadows, and now Lady Minerva, the "Crimson Dracoknight" was now brought down by the rebels in this nation…_

_I swear… it's times like this that make me wonder if this kingdom even has a future anymore…_

_-Chris_

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Palla POV)**

That general… what was Rucke thinking starting this rebellion?

His line of thought will only result in Medon's downfall!

As I scoured the area, I had noted that most of Rucke's forces were concentrated mostly around his fort. It was always like him… using his subordinates to save his own skin.

Wait… I see a squadron of knights coming in from the south…

That's Prince Marth! He's finally here!

Julian was still in a nearby village when I last saw him… I need to tell him, and quickly!

With no further delay, I flew to the northern side of the mountain, where no guards were stationed, and I met up with the former rogue.

"Palla? What are you doing here?" he questioned me.

"Julian, I want you to listen to me… Catria has brought Prince Marth and Altea's forces here, and I'm going to meet up with them so we can save Princess Minerva. I want you to take Sister Lena and get to safety!"

But he shook his head, "I can't do that. Sister Lena has gone missing, and I'm not leaving without her…"

What? That is odd…

"Sister Lena is gone as well? Then Princess Maria is not the only one who has disappeared… but it doesn't make sense! Why are they the only ones missing?"

Julian shrugged, "I've no idea why, but the fact remains that they're still gone… I've got to stay behind so I can find her. Sorry I can't help your princess in any way…"

"Oh, that's alright… I'm sure we can save Minerva on our own. However, you keep yourself safe as well. I know you're worried about Sister Lena, but don't over-exert yourself."

He nodded, "Don't worry, I won't. Send my regards to the prince when you see him!"

And with that, he hurried back into the village he had spent hours searching. Now I had to hurry and get back to the prince's forces. Rearing my pegasus up, I took to the skies and went back around the mountain to avoid detection.

However… on the way there, someone briefly caught my eye…

That man riding a wyvern… no, I must be imagining things… he couldn't be alive now…

Could he?

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Unknown POV)**

Even now, I still couldn't believe she would do all of this for me… and it's all because of her that I still live.

Though I've done awful things during the War of Darkness, I've got to make things right… I must atone for the crimes I've commited. I refuse to let my father's murder and my alliance with Doluna plague me to the end, as Lord Gotoh told me it would…

That man… he took her from me, and now I've got to save her… but first, Rucke and I need to have an understanding.

As the fortress came into view, I lowered my wyvern to his position and dismounted… and his reaction upon seeing me was priceless.

Seeing that he was stunned into silence, I spoke to him, "A full blown rebellion? Gee Rucke, this is awfully big coming from a spineless coward like you… I'll bet that fool Hardin must've given you this idea, no?"

Still stunned, Rucke could only sputter out, "Ah! Y-You…! You should be…"

"Dead? Ha… you'd be surprised what one can live through." I mockingly finished before I narrowed my eyes on him, "Now enough playing around. You will hand Minerva over to me at once. You can do whatever the hell you want with this nation, I care not, but… I will not rest until I deal with that man myself…"

Still cowering, Rucke responded, "Er, but… Princess Minerva's already gone, Lord Michalis… you're too late to save her."

I shook my head at this. Just how stupid does this imbecile think I am?

My patience nearing its limit, my hand grabbed his neck in a tight grip and I spoke once again in a low, threatening tone, "You think I'm that gullible to fall for such a trick?"

He gasped futilely for air as my grip tightened further…

"I don't have any qualms about running you down on my lance right here and now, so if you value your pathetic life, you'll bring her to me at once!"

Once I dropped him, he coughed a bit before gasping at another guard… "Hey! Bring… the princess… over here!"

Though he was confused, he did as commanded and brought her over to me. She looked badly hurt and dazed as I brought her onto my wyvern and flew away. Though we still weren't on the best of terms, I was inclined to tell her one thing…

"It's been a long time, Minerva… but I can't believe you've fallen this far. Our younger sister is missing, and now your own men have thrown you to the wolves as your reign crumbles. Is this really the Medon you wanted to create?"

Still confused from all that had happened, she could only respond…

"Michalis… you still live?"

I replied, "Never mind that… you need to recover someplace safe. Now let's go."

And with that, I flew off with her in tow… to the north…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV, 12 minutes ago)**

As we marched onward, I could see a massive mountain to the north. However, it would seem that the bridge was up, and thus we would have to take a long winding path to the west. If it was any consolation, we'd be less likely to face any resistance if we go there…

"Hey, captain!" Luke called me, "Are you really sure this path will take us to the fort? It doesn't seem like we're getting anywhere!"

"Look, I know it'll be a while, but this seems like the best route for us to take. I don't think they would expect us to go all the way around the mountain to strike at them from the rear." I explained, "Besides, I don't see any resistance yet. Do you?"

"Well, I guess not…" Luke conceded.

Continuing our trudge, we eventually came upon what appeared to be some kind of campsite. It looked to be empty as we searched, but that soon changed…

"Hey! You get away from there!"

We turned immediately to see the owner of the site…

Well, well… it was Bord!

"Woah, Bord! Don't get excited! It's our old pals from before!" Cord quickly calmed him down…

Bord lowered his axe once he got a good look at us…

"Oh! Well aren't you guys a sight for sore eyes!" he grinned, "How've you been doing, Prince Marth?"

"Not too badly." Marth replied, "I take it you're out here for the same reason Cord was?"

"Yeah, but if you're all here… then something bad has gone down, right?"

"You could say that…" I replied.

"Well, whatever it might be, I think I'll come with you guys." he said, "I could never resist a challenge, after all…"

"You're welcome to join us again, Bord." I told him, "Just don't push yourself too much."

"Heh, don't worry about that. I won't…" he grinned.

With our friend Bord back in our ranks, we continued our trek around the mountain. It was a slow process, but we at least weren't coming across any opposition… yet.

"Prince Marth! Up here!"

Huh? That sounded like…

All of us looked up to find a familiar (well, to most of us) green-haired pegasus knight flying above us. Marth signaled for her to land, and so she did…

"Palla! What are you doing here?" Marth asked…

"I've been waiting for Catria to bring you all here so that I could join you." she explained, "If you continue down this road, the fortress will be close by. Rucke's men have yet to notice that you're plotting to attack from the rear…"

"Really? Excellent!" I piped up, but then…

"Yes… but, you all must know something else…"

"What?" I questioned.

Palla took in a short breath before continuing, "Recently, Princess Maria had gone missing… but I know for a fact that the rebels aren't involved in her disappearance."

"What?" Marth exclaimed, "But… if the rebels didn't take her, then who did?"

"I don't know… but once we get this matter settled, we must find her."

"Right…" Marth nodded, though confusion still lingered in his mind…

So… Maria is missing also… but who would gain something from taking her?

Gah, this is all too strange for my liking. We've got to keep moving if we're going to stop this insurrection…

"The Altean Army is here! Everyone, charge!"

Yipes! Cavaliers are emerging from the fortresses!

"Everyone! To arms at once!" Jeigan ordered, so our forces immediately drew their weapons. One enemy cavalier rode up with his lance raised, so Cecil strafed him and threw a javelin in his direction. Her aim proved true as the spear's point slammed into the foe's chest, felling him from his mount and ending him quickly.

Another cavalier, with a sword this time, was riding towards me, and so I did my tried-and-true tactic of knocking him off his horse. As my blade made impact with my enemy, he was thrown from his mount, and before he could stand back up, Gordin was quick to fire an arrow at him. One arrow to the face later, he was down and out.

"Geez, is this the best the rebels can come up with?" I muttered.

Two more cavaliers stormed from the gates of the fort, so Ryan quickly fired a couple of shots at one of them. The arrows nailed his side, causing him to sway in his saddle, so Luke took that opportunity to slash at the opponent's neck. Blood spewed from the wound as the choking cavalier was forcibly dismounted, dead to the world.

The last one didn't even have a chance to mount his offensive. Rody and Draug were already on him as the armored knight tossed a javelin at the rider, clipping his lance arm. Forced to drop his weapon, he was quick to fall as Rody's own lance thrusted into him, finishing him immediately.

"Whew… is that all of them?" I wiped the sweat from my brow.

"Probably." Palla replied, "His other forces are probably still around his fort."

"Alright then…" I nodded, "Well, I don't see anyone out here now, so we should probably go see that village to the east."

"Right." Marth answered, then turned to his forces, "Everyone, keep watch out here while Chris and I secure the village."

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Marth POV)**

With the road now free of opposition, Chris and I hustled to the village. Everyone was thankful that we gave them the warning of the fighting outside, but before we left to charge back into the fray, a familiar red-haired th- excuse me… FORMER thief stood before us.

"It's been a while Prince Marth, Chris… remember me?"

"Julian!" Chris was surprised to see him here, as was I, "Fancy meeting you here!"

I added, "We've heard you've gone to Medon with Sister Lena, but… we never expected to run into you again."

"Yeah, well… life is surprising like that, isn't it?" he grinned.

"So how are you and Sister Lena doing?" Chris asked, "What have you two been up to lately?"

Julian's expression soon turned to a frown…

"About that… Sister Lena just up and disappeared… I don't know what to do."

"She's gone?" I replied, "But… how?"

"I've been searching the village for hours, but… all I could come up with were rumors. Supposedly, word on the street is that some menacing looking people came by here recently. Sister Lena was supposedly taken by them…"

Menacing people… hm…

"Any idea what they looked like?" Chris asked.

"Well, the villagers said that one of them was a girl just a little bit older than you, with a nasty looking bow… and the other was a man who was somewhat tall and muscular, and he wore a mask that made him resemble a demon…"

Chris immediately tensed up when he heard the description… and he looked at me knowingly.

"The assassins…" he growled.

Julian quickly became interested at what Chris just said…

"Chris? You know something?"

Turning back to the ex-thief, he replied, "The people you just described are assassins, and they were responsible for attempting to kill Marth and myself. I've no idea who they work for, but I'm taking it upon myself to find that out and destroy them."

I also piped in…

"Chris, Julian… Princess Maria is also missing. You don't suppose these same assassins are responsible for that… do you?"

"Hm… well, it's a bit of a stretch, but I wouldn't rule it out just yet." Chris noted.

I just shook my head, "I've got a bad feeling about all of this… but staying here isn't going to get us anywhere on this matter." Now I turned to Julian, "Julian, you ought to come with us. We can all look for Sister Lena together that way."

Julian smiled, "Thanks, you two… my skills may not be what they used to, but I'll do my best."

"We only ask that you try, Julian." Chris replied, "Now let's get moving!"

With the village now safe, we proceeded back to our forces. Now it was time to strike at the rebel leader… or at least it would be if a few dracoknights hadn't decided to interfere…

Gordin, Ryan, and Warren immediately fired upon a couple of dracoknights. Gordin managed to take out one of them after three shots, and Ryan and Warren worked together to shoot down the other one.

As for the third one, who was armed with an axe, he avoided the archer and flew towards me. I would have to time my hit just right…

There!

With one hard swing, I knocked the rider from his wyvern and quickly thrusted my sword at him before he got back up, finishing him quickly…

I had to consider myself lucky I scored that hit against him… that timing was pretty tricky.

With no further interruptions, I directed everyone to follow me across the bridge to the rear. As expected, General Rucke was at the fort…

Since Palla and Catria rode ahead of us, Rucke quickly scoffed.

"So, the Whitewings really think they stand a chance against me?"

Catria bit back, "Rucke, your treachery ends here! You will pay for sullying Medon's good name!"

"Please! What can you possibly do to hurt me?"

"They don't need to." Chris surprised the general as we rounded upon Rucke.

The shock on his face was evident, "W-What! What is Altea doing here on Medon!"

"Orders from the empire, general." I replied, "Surrender and bring Princess Minerva to us right now."

"Ha…" Rucke smirked as he hefted his lance, "No chance, whelps! I'll send you all to your graves!"

We were fortunate that Bord had a hammer when he engaged the general, as he quickly stepped aside from Rucke's lance and bashed his weapon against the thick armor. Cord also assisted as his own axe cleaved into the dented metal hide, leaving an opening for our other forces…

"Rrgh! I'm not done with you fools yet!"

The general smacked the blunt end of his lance against Cord, knocking him aside, and then thrusted at Bord. They were quickly taken aside for Malliesia to heal them, so I quickly darted in to finish off the rebel leader. Before he could turn his lance on me, I stabbed three times with my rapier into the opening that Bord and Cord created, and I was rewarded with Rucke gasping in agony as the blade pierced his flesh. I backed off as he clutched his bleeding mid-section, allowing Linde to put an end to him with a blast of Thunder magic. After convulsing violently from the electricity, he finally breathed his last words…

"Altea's forces… impressive… truly…"

I breathed a sigh of relief when all was said and done, thankful that every rebel was now gone. Now it was time to free the princess…

"Everyone, search the keep. Let me know if Minerva is somewhere within the premesis."

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

Everyone searched high and low for the princess, as our reports claimed that she'd be somewhere around here. However, after an hour's worth of searching, we still ended up coming empty handed…

Following Jeigan into the throne room, we proceeded to confer with the prince…

"Jeigan, Chris… how is your search going? Were you successful?"

"Well… no, not exactly." I shook my head.

"Sire, everyone has looked in every last chamber for Princess Minerva, but… no one has seen her at all in here." Jeigan explained…

Marth's expression turned to one of confusion…

"Huh? But… that's odd. She's supposed to be here…"

Just then, Rody came into the throne room as well, and a grave expression was on his face…

"Sire! General Lang is requesting to see you."

I groaned at this… what does that creep want from us now?

"Send him in…" Marth replied.

"Bah…" Jeigan grumbled, "I'm sure he's got some other fool's errand for us to do…"

Minutes after those words were spoken, the bald bastard of a general walked in to meet with us. Arrogant as ever, he smirked…

"Huh… so you Alteans do have some use." He mused aloud, "Not too bad, Lord Marth. Now you just leave Medon to me, while you complete this next mission I have for you."

Marth sighed, "And what's the mission this time?"

The general's growled out, "My castle came under attack a couple of days ago, and Grust's royal children were taken from me. The reports I received claim that the culprit should be somewhere here in Medon, so you must now chase after the culprit and return the children to me at once!"

The kids are safe! That's excellent!

I couldn't help but smile in relief that they were okay… but unfortunately, Lang seemed to catch me doing this, and so his eyes narrowed on me.

"And what are you so happy about? Do you find these circumstances amusing?" he bellowed at me.

At this, my smile faded, and I narrowed my eyes back onto him, "And what if I did? What would you do about it?"

"Grr… don't give me this insolence, boy! You're all going to retrieve those royal whelps and you're going to do it now!"

Instead of faltering at his outburst, Marth just shook his head, "Sorry General, but we're not complying with this request. We're going back to Altea at once, so stand aside please."

Both Jeigan and Lang were surprised at what Marth said. Lang quickly turned red with fury…

"What! What nonsense are you spouting?"

I cut in, "What part of _'We're going back to Altea'_ do you not understand? Now get out of our way!"

Surprisingly, Lang calmed down… but what he said next alarmed us, "So… that is how it is? You were all going to disobey my orders eventually? I should've known you were behind this!"

"What are you saying?" Marth replied…

"It was Ogma, the Talys mercenary, which stole the children from my keep!" Lang shouted, "I know for a fact that he fought under your command in the War of Shadows. You were the one who ordered Ogma to take the children, weren't you!"

Marth shook his head, "Lang, I've done no such thing… however, I honestly wish I did before. We've all been deeply regretful that we couldn't save them, but we're going to do that now, and not even you are going to stand in our way!"

Hey! He's turning red again!

"You… you insolent whelp of a prince! You imbeciles would commit treason against the empire? I'm informing Emperor Hardin about this!"

Now I was getting furious… this guy's spouted off at us long enough…

Marth continued calmly, "Go ahead and try, Lang. We'll be off to Pales soon anyways. Hardin and Nyna WILL know the truth about your crimes!"

"Grr… rah!"

In an instant, before he could come at the prince, I stepped in front and brandished my sword directly at him…

"One more step, you bastard. I dare you!" I shouted, my weapon trained on the corrupt general, "You've mouthed off at us for too long now, and I'm not going to stand for that crap any longer! If you're looking for a fight, then bring it! I'll drop you where you stand right now!"

However, to my surprise, Jeigan also stepped up… and he had a sword in hand as well!

"No, Christopher… if it's a fight he wants, then let him look to me." He said, then glared at Lang, "My patience with you is at an end, Lang. My liege may be forgiving to you for your slight against him and my kingdom, but I certainly am not."

Lang sputtered in an angered and incoherent manner as Jeigan continued…

"I may be old and past my prime condition, but I still won't lose to a corrupt coward like you. Draw your weapon and face me!"

Huh… this guy's about ready to burst a blood vessel! Looks like we really pissed him off now…

"You… you cheap bastards! I'll never forgive you for this!" he shouted in rage, then he stormed off, but had his head turned at us before he went out the door…

"Mark my words, you damned wretches! Once I inform the emperor, your kingdom will be destroyed! You'll all pay for defying me and the empire!"

And with that, he stomped out the door and the castle. I was going to chase after him and kill that worm, but Jeigan stopped me…

"Let him go, Christopher… he'll probably be long gone before you even get outside…"

Sighing, I conceded, "I guess… but, you really surprised me there, commander. I don't think Prince Marth and I ever expected to see you do what you did!"

Jeigan smirked, "Heh, come now you two… I may be old, but I don't plan on losing out to you young ones just yet!"

The elderly paladin then frowned, "Although… I should've been more careful. I've always told you two to remain calm, but even I lost my patience with Lang…"

Marth shook his head, "What's done is done, Jeigan. There's naught we can do about it now…"

"Well, what's next for us then?" I piped in.

"Hm… if what Lang said was true, then Ogma should be in Medon already. I'm sure he must be going to Wendell's residence in Holm."

Taking a map out of my bag, I looked carefully to see where it was…

"Huh… what luck. The Holm coastline is just north and west of this keep." I noted, "By my estimates, we should arrive there in a few days…"

"I see…" Marth answered, "It's too bad we can't do anything about Minerva's disappearance, but it'd be best if we can reach Wendell and Ogma soon."

"Understood, sire…" Jeigan nodded, "Although… I am a bit troubled at what Lang told us…"

"Come on, commander…" I replied, "You don't honestly believe the emperor would actually listen to that scumbag, do you?"

Jeigan only responded with silence as he exited the room…

Hm… something seems off, but what?

Bah, no use thinking about it now… I can worry about that later.

XXXXXXXXXX

Although night had fallen, I just couldn't get any sleep that evening…

What Julian said earlier really bothered me. If those assassins were responsible for taking Lady Maria and Sister Lena, then who knows where they might strike next?

The restlessness soon overwhelmed me, and I couldn't take it any longer. I had to do something about this…

Throwing my sheets off, I quickly got out of bed and got dressed. With my sword, logbook, and a few vulneraries on hand, I quietly opened the door to my room. However, as soon as my door closed, a voice soon came from behind me.

"Chris? What are you doing up at this hour?"

Surprised, I quickly turned around to find Julian looking at me.

"Ah! Julian!" I whispered, "I… I can't sleep. Too many things are on my mind…"

"Like what?"

I replied, "Those people you said took Sister Lena. Where are they now?"

"The only thing I heard was that they're going to some keep a little further to the east. Why?"

"Thanks, that's all I need to know…" I said, then quickly turned to get to the gates.

"Chris, where are you going?" Julian questioned.

"I'm going after them, Julian. I can't let them get away with what they're doing!"

"What?" Julian exclaimed, "Are you nuts? You can't just take them on by yourself!"

"Well, what do you suggest I do! I'm not going to take no for an answer."

The former thief sighed, "Look, you're only going to stumble around in the dark if you do this alone. At least let me come with you, so you can actually see where you're going!"

"I… fine…" I conceded.

Thieves were generally trained to see through things like dense fog and darkness. Admittedly, I'd only get myself lost if I tried to go alone…

"Hey! What's all that racket?"

Argh, damn it! We're caught!

In the foyer, Luke wandered into the room, a drowsy look on his face…

"Come on, I'm trying to get some sleep, and- Huh?"

He soon woke up completely when he saw me and Julian at the entrance…

"Captain? Julian? What are you guys doing?"

Julian blurted out before I could stop him, "We're going after the assassins!"

Well that's just great… why don't you tell the whole world, Julian?

"Really? Well, do you mind if I join you guys?" Luke replied.

Rubbing my forehead in exasperation, I conceded, "Luke, go get Rody, Cecil, and Linde. Meet us at the gates when you have them…"

"Er, sure captain…" he replied, then left the area. It took about ten minutes, but he was successful in bringing them all back here.

"Captain, what have you brought us out here for?" Rody asked with a yawn.

I cleared my throat…

"The assassins have taken Sister Lena and Lady Maria. If these people are left alone, they might come after us later. We've got to stop them before they try anything else…"

"Captain…" Cecil started, "Wouldn't it be smarter to wait until morning before we go after them? It'd be smarter if the entire company-"

I cut her off, "I thought of that, Cecil… but if we do that, then they'll more than likely be long gone before we can do anything about them."

They were still a bit reluctant to follow me, so I said one final thing…

"Look, this isn't about revenge or anything like that. This is about protecting the prince and rescuing these ladies. We have to take the fight to them for a change, do you understand?"

It took a minute, but they all eventually agreed…

"Alright then, let's get moving… and quickly!" I commanded, and allowed Julian to take point…

While I was feeling a bit anxious, I remembered that I must keep a cool head in this endeavor.

These assassins… they need to be taken care of soon, or they'll continue to target us. I don't expect the leader to be there, but if we can do some good damage to them, then we should be able to save Lady Maria and Sister Lena…

Let's just hope it'll be as easy as it sounds…

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER**

_There you have it! Another chapter all said and done!_

_As always, if you have any reviews/commentary, I'll be here to listen._

_Until next time, farewell._


	19. From Bad to Worse?

_**DISCLAIMER: **__Fire Emblem belongs to Nintendo and Intelligent Systems, so I don't own squat. All I own here is the OC of this fic!_

_***REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_**ExposedWiresExposedVeins:**__ Thanks for the support as always! I'll keep your suggestions in mind!_

_***END REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_And now, the story continues once again!_

* * *

**CHAPTER 17**

**From Bad to Worse?**

_**DATE: March 17  
TIME: 1:25 A.M.  
LOCATION: 10 miles east of the mountain fortress.**_

_Unable to get any rest, I decided I needed to do something about those assassins I've been attempting to investigate and eliminate them. After hearing what Julian said about Sister Lena being taken by them and that Lady Maria was also missing, I surmised that they couldn't have gone far from where we were resting…_

_Per Julian's suggestion, he and a few others were coming with me to give me a hand at this task. My hope is that we can do away with these guys and rescue the captives before Marth or someone else realizes that we've disappeared…_

_Well, here we go…_

_-Chris_

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Wrys POV)**

After moving to Medon, I've dedicated my remaining years starting up a convent in the area. I spent several months caring for those poor children who lost their families in the War of Shadows. With Sister Lena's help, I did all I could to ensure that these youth's would lead full lives…

But recently, Sister Lena had gone missing for some reason. Many of the children kept asking me if she would ever come back. Some were even hurt inside, thinking that she simply stopped caring about them, and it was painful for me to try and tell them that she'd be back eventually, even though I had no idea where she was.

That's why I, Wrys of Talys, am here now. I had to leave at night while the children were asleep, for fear they would think something was going to happen…

As I hurried to the south, I eventually noticed that the road was strewn with a few knights in the vicinity. However, they strangely didn't have any crests on their armor, which meant their allegiances were unknown to me…

'_How strange…'_

In an attempt to avoid alerting their attention, I went into some nearby woods. I was grateful that the trees gave me enough cover to hide out from them. It was only a few minutes when I ended up hearing a couple of voices speaking, so I turned to see where they were coming from…

"Excellent! Now we've got the two women that the master requested! That old man didn't even see her disappear!" a blonde girl with a large bow exclaimed.

The other girl, one with short, purple hair wearing clothes befitting a mage, simply nodded. Though… she seemed hesitant about something.

The blonde sniper took notice of this, "Eine? What's bothering you?"

Reluctantly, the mage spoke up, "Ah… Kuraine? Is this really alright…? Why do we need to take these women?"

The sniper narrowed her eyes at the one called Eine, "The master requires these two. Isn't that reason enough?"

"But…"

"Eine…" the sniper started, "Stop whining. The master taught you better, has she not?"

The mage stayed silent as she continued.

"Our master, Eremiya, has been with us from the beginning, because there's no place for any of us! Do you realize that, or are you thinking of leaving everyone behind?"

"What? No!" Eine shook her head, "I'd never betray my master or you, sister. I'll do whatever you ask of me…"

"That's what I thought." Kuraine smirked, seemingly satisfied at her answer, "Alright then, Eine. Take these two women to Roro. He's got a ship waiting to the south."

"Yes, Kuraine…"

A couple of knights alongside the mage had two unconscious women… wait, that's…!

It's Princess Maria and Sister Lena!

Nngh… but I can't rescue them myself. What can I do…?

"Lady Kuraine!" another knight came running, "Intruders are coming in from the west!"

Her eyes narrowed dangerously, "Intruders? What do they want with us?"

"I don't know, but… they're all being led by some blue-haired kid."

"Is it Prince Marth?" Kuraine asked.

The knight shook his head, "No, milady. This one's wearing a dark headband and has a bigger sword!"

At this, a sinister smirk came to her face…

"Oh… so it's the other one then! In that case, leave him to me. I want to have a little fun with that one myself!"

"Er… as you say, Lady Kuraine…"

Blue haired person with a large sword…

That… that sounds like Christopher! But what is he doing here?

Regardless, I need to find him… and quickly!

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

A sigh escaped from one of my charge's lips…

"Come on, captain… are you really sure the enemy went this way?"

"Luke, stop complaining." I replied, "Julian wouldn't lie to us about where they were going."

It was about an hour since my company and I marched east of the mountain keep. While I was at the keep, one of the things I remembered was that I happened to stumble upon the Iote's Shield before I went inside the keep.

Honestly, I had no clue whatsoever why Medon's greatest treasure was doing outside some old fortress, but I wasn't about to question my luck upon finding this thing.

The other thing I remembered was that Rucke had some tiny orb on his person. When I took it from him, I noticed that there was some kind of constellation glowing in this little orb. Since I couldn't really make heads or tails of this one, I had to defer to Marth on what it really was.

Taurus was the name of this constellation…

So strange… it felt as though it had some kind of magical property that seemed… familiar?

Gah, I'm thinking too long on this. We've got a mission to complete!

"Alright everyone, I want you to stick close. There's no telling where these guys might pop up…" I told my team.

Just then, I heard Julian pipe up…

"Chris, I can see a few knights and archers coming this way!"

Sure enough, the clanking of heavy metal armor was heard getting louder as they advanced. They've spotted us!

"All units, attack!" I called out, as I drew my weapon…

Within minutes, all of us charged at the knights. From the corner of my eye, I witnessed Luke slash at one knight's neck, ending him quickly as his throat was sliced open. Linde was handling two archers as bolts of lightning from her Thunder spell were electrocuting them both. Rody and Cecil were also decimating a knight as well, as their lances punched through the foe's armor, dropping him before he could counter.

Meanwhile, I was fending off one knight's attacks while trying to find an opening to strike. Eventually, I found my opportunity and swung with all my strength, just enough to cut an opening into his chest-plate. With the gap in his armor now revealed, I thrusted my sword where said gap was, and the blade went right through his mid-section and the other side of his armor.

As the foe dropped dead from my attack, I continued down the road, hoping to find some keep of sorts where the women were held. In hindsight, continuing down the path alone was surely not one of my brighter moments, and this was why…

"Heh, so you're back for more, are you?"

I immediately remembered that haughty voice. It belonged to that female sniper…

Tightening my grip on my sword, I looked around, hoping to find her…

"I would've thought that beating Roro gave you would make you think twice about coming after us. Seems you're more thick-headed than I thought!"

I narrowed my eyes and growled out, "And I'm sure it takes a lot of courage to taunt from the shadows, where no one can find you. Come out and fight me!"

"I would…" the girl replied, "…but it's more fun to mess with you this way."

OW!

Before I even realized what was happening, I felt an arrow slam into my side. Moaning in pain, I gasped out…

"Nngh… where are Sister Lena and Lady Maria! I know… you had to have taken them!"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she scoffed.

GAH!

Another arrow hit me, this time on the back of my left leg. I was forced to my knees, struggling to stand back up.

"Such a shame, really." She continued on, "I wonder how your platoon will function without their captain to guide them?"

UNGH!

Once again, I found myself perforated with another arrow, nailing my right arm. It hurt to the point of forcing me to drop my blade. I cried out in pain once more as yet another arrow slammed into my back, forcing me to the ground.

"The master will really be pleased to know I've taken down the prince's closest ally. Though, I should thank you for entertaining me with your agony thus far." She said, a small hint of laughter following this statement.

"Go ahead, you…" I shot back, as a bit of blood flowed from my mouth, "Shoot me… and be done with it!"

"My, my… so eager for death, are we?" she asked amusedly, "Actually, I think I'll just let you writhe in agony before you die. It'd be more fun that way."

Nngh… what a sadist.

"Goodbye, you pathetic waste… and may this meeting be our last!"

I could barely make out the sound of footsteps… and they were quick to fade out of my hearing range.

After several minutes of pain, I eventually blacked out, unable to take any more.

'_Lord Marth… grandpa… Linde… forgive me.'_

XXXXXXXXXX

Ungh…

What… happened? Where… am I?

As bright morning sunlight assaulted my eyelids, I struggled to open them. So many things were out of focus, but I could at least make out that my friends were around me…

I attempted to sit back up, but quickly regretted it as I fell back into my bed, my arm flaring up in pain…

"Chris, don't struggle…" Linde told me.

"Ugh…" I groaned, "Where am I?"

"You're back at the mountain keep, Chris…"

Turning my head right, I realized it was Lord Marth talking to me.

"Sire…?"

Marth spoke again, "You were badly injured from the four arrows you took. It was lucky for you that Father Wrys was around to help you."

I raised an eyebrow, "Wrys was here?"

"Correct, Christopher…" a familiar priest spoke up. Sure enough, it was Wrys standing before me.

"Ah… thanks, Wrys… ow." I told him, wincing as the pain in my back started up again.

"Think nothing of it, lad."

"Er, Wrys? If I may ask, what were you doing out there?" I asked him.

Wrys cleared his throat before answering…

"In the past few months, I had started up a convent here in Medon to care for children that had lost their families in the previous war. Sister Lena had also joined me in this endeavor and helped wherever she could… but recently, she had gone missing and I've been attempting to look for her. When I found her, she and Princess Maria were both taken by a young female mage. It seems that she and a female sniper were the ones responsible for their disappearance, Christopher."

I looked down in thought as Wrys finished. This was really boding ill…

Why are they taking them? Who would want to capture these ladies? I decided to ask, "Wrys, did they say they whom they were working for?"

He responded, "I seem to recall saying that they had a master. The name they mentioned was someone called 'Eremiya'."

Eremiya? Hm… sounds like a female.

"What about the reason they're taking them, or where they're taking them?"

At this, he shook his head, "They didn't say anything relating to that…"

"Hmm…"

Well, at least now I have a lead on whom they work for…

"Lord Jeigan and Commander Arran want to speak to us in a few hours, captain." Cecil told me, "I don't think they're too happy with us sneaking out to try and fight the assassins."

I sighed and nodded. I was quite certain we were all going to get chewed out when I wake up again.

XXXXXXXXXX

As though fate continued to taunt me, I got almost no sleep in the next few hours. Groggily rubbing the tiredness from my eyes, I got dressed and reported to the foyer of the keep. All of my charges (except Ryan) were there, and Jeigan and Arran had a look that meant serious business. Gulping down my fear, I stood in front of my cohorts…

"Christopher…" Jeigan started first, "What were you thinking taking on those assassins with so few numbers? All of you could've been slain by them!"

"Commanders, I did what I had to do." I simply replied, doing my best not to falter under either of their gazes, "Those assassins had Lady Maria and Sister Lena. I had to do whatever it took to rescue them."

"Yet in the end, you failed to do that and you were nearly killed." Arran countered, "Now thanks to you and your charges' antics, those assassins will be on to us! They'll be coming at us with everything they have now!"

Jeigan sternly added, "Christopher, what you and your cohorts did was very reckless and irresponsible. If you pull a stunt like that again, you'll be stripped of your position as platoon captain and all of you will be discharged from Altea's forces. Do I make myself clear?"

I wanted to argue, but no words could come to mind… so I simply complied.

"Yes sirs…"

"Then you're all dismissed." Arran replied, "We will leave this place at daybreak, so I want you all ready to depart when that time comes."

Shaking my head in frustration, I left the room to go back to sleep. All I wanted was to beat those assassins and save the two missing women… yet I once again failed to do either of those things.

Tomorrow, we depart for Holm to meet up with Wendell, Ogma, and the children. All I can do now is hope we aren't too late…

XXXXXXXXXX

_**DATE: March 22  
TIME: 2:17 PM  
LOCATION: Holm coastline, southwest corner of Medon**_

_With no current way to contact Lady Minerva, eliminate the assassins, or rescue the two missing women, our only choice now was to search for Ogma, Wendell, and Grust's royal children._

_I figured since Wendell protected these two children, then they should be in good hands, so we shouldn't have any trouble as far as meeting with them was concerned…_

_Unfortunately, that wasn't the case._

_It just so happened that the good bishop's place of residence was a notorious pirate's den. It was here that the most prominent gang of buccaneers, the 'Medon Vikings', set up their base of operations here._

_Several pirates were sure to stand in our way when we get to the coastline, but if we're to rescue the children and meet up with Ogma and Wendell, then we'll need to bust through every one of them._

_-Chris_

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Ogma POV)**

Hah… a fine time to be cornered by these guys…

As General Lorenz requested, I took the children here to this beach in the hopes that Wendell could take care of them again like before. Unfortunately, when we arrived, we ended up sustaining a surprise attack from the pirates around this area. We were lucky they didn't hurt us much, but we were forced into hiding out at a nearby village to avoid getting caught by them and the empire.

While taking cover in a back alley between a couple of houses, I turned to face the two children…

"Yumina, Yubello…" I started, "Keep your wits about you. We've landed in some pretty dangerous territory now. As much as I wanted to avoid coming to this place, we've no other option before us now…"

"Oh… S-Sir Ogma…" Yubello was quaking in fear, "A-Are you really sure that Master Wendell is here…? I… I don't want to stick around here…"

Yumina, on the other hand, still put up a brave front…

"Yubello, now is not the time to be such a cry-baby!" she chastised, "You need to step up and be a man now! Do you not have a tome for Fire magic on hand to fight in case any foe comes for us?"

"B-But sister… Master Wendell entrusted me with this book and told me specifically not to battle with this magic. B-Besides… I don't even like fighting to begin with…"

Yumina shook her head, "Must you continue to make excuses like that? You must understand, Yubello… it's just the two of us now! You've got to be strong now…"

Her headstrong front faltered slightly as she continued…

"You must, because… I wouldn't know what to do if… if…"

Yubello reluctantly conceded as his sister's voice began to crack…

"Oh, Yumina…" he replied, "I… I'll try my hardest… just, please don't be sad…"

As the two siblings shared a short hug, I heard a set of footsteps approaching as I exited the alley to scout for any threats. When I turned to the source…

"Oh! Mister Ogma?"

Hey! I know that boy… it's… Castor, I think.

"Hm? Castor, is that you?" I asked the young man.

"Yeah, it's me!" he replied, "What're you doing here?"

I looked away to see if the children were still there. They were, but they were hidden from Castor's sight.

"Uhm, it's a long story." I quickly deflected his question, then followed up with one of my own, "And what about you? What brings you to this place?"

"Ah… my mother… she's fallen ill again, but there wasn't any gold to be had at Talys. I had to bid farewell to her and travel here to make money somehow…"

"I see… well, I wish I could help you with that, but I already spent all my gold to travel here." I told him.

"No… it's okay." He shook his head, disappointment evident on his face. He put it aside though, and asked another question.

"Mister Ogma… do you know how Princess Sheeda is doing?"

"Well… I don't really know for sure, but it would seem Altea wholeheartedly welcomed her into the kingdom. From what I've heard, she and Prince Marth were to be wed sometime ago…"

"Really? Wow…" Castor sounded amazed at that prospect.

Suddenly, a loud shouting noise was sounding off just outside the gates…

"Hey! There they are! C'mon boys, let's trash this place and get those brats! The empire will pay us a mother-load if we get 'em!"

I shook my head in exasperation.

"Damn it! We've been caught!"

With my sword drawn, I turned to all of them as the children came out of the alley.

"Everyone, stick close! We've got to bust through them if we want to reach Bishop Wendell!"

"M-Mister Ogma?" Castor started as he was getting out his bow, "What's going on? Who are these kids?"

"No time to explain! Let's get going now!" I shouted, and we quickly stood in front of the gates as they shut behind us.

A thief was coming at us from the west, but Castor quickly fired a shot at him. The arrow felled the foe when it slammed through his head. Yubello, although frightened, had his tome at the ready and his free hand was raised. A sphere of fire emerged from his palm and it raced towards a nearby thief, scorching him to death. I had my sword raised as a couple of pirates charged at me. Expertly sidestepping one of their axes, I swung my sword and cut down one of the pirates. Before the other pirate could try again, I immediately turned and slashed at the foe's neck, dropping him instantly.

Wait… there's another man here…

Is he… fighting the pirates? Hm…

"Castor! Stay here and guard the kids!"

"S-Sir Ogma…? Where are you…"

I cut Yubello off, "Just trust me!"

I quickly raced across the bridge, hoping to confront this man. Just as he finished slashing down another pirate, he turned when he heard my footsteps. It was then that I got a good look at the man…

He seemed to be somewhere around his late 20's. He had blond hair and wore a white mask with a black line going horizontally across it. Although he had taken down one of the pirates, I wasn't about to let my guard down for this man…

Warily, I approached him, "You there! Are you with those pirates?"

The man shook his head, "No."

"Well, who are you then?"

"My name is Sirius, and I am merely a traveler."

"Oh, uhm…" I muttered dumbfounded, "Sorry… I lost control back there."

The paladin, Sirius, just dismissed it all.

"Do not dwell on it, sir… but you must tell me. About those children…"

"Ah, of course…" I replied, "Some bad things have happened, so I'm trying to protect them. You wouldn't happen to know them, would you?"

He shook his head, "I don't… however, it won't be possible for you to elude these pirates if you have the children in tow."

"I realize that…" I conceded, "But what else can I do?"

Sirius pointed south and west, "There's word from a village to the south that Altea's forces will be upon us soon. Allow me to hold off the pirates here while you make your getaway."

Altea's army is coming here? Then that'd mean… Prince Marth will be coming also…

Could they be coming here to help these kids?

Turning back to Sirius, I gratefully told him, "I understand, thanks…"

However, I still wondered why he was here now, trying to help me. When I questioned him on that…

"All I wish is to help these children. Nothing more, nothing less…"

"I see…" I replied, "Well, thank you anyway, Sirius. I hope we meet again soon, so…"

"So… what?"

"Actually, the truth is, I was hoping to eliminate the commander of the occupation forces in Grust, Lang… General Lorenz gave his life to make sure that Prince Yubello and Princess Yumina would be safe. In the general's name, I want to defeat Lang and make him pay…"

"What are you implying?" Sirius asked me.

"Well, I was wondering… would you be willing to assist me in this matter? Your strength would be a major help…"

Sirius looked down pensively when I asked him…

"Hm… it DOES sound interesting enough. However, if you want my assistance, you need to live on."

"Over here, boys! Let's get 'em!"

Ah! More pirates are coming!

"I'll hold them off! Now get moving and hurry!" Sirius bellowed, so I did as such and broke away to the west.

I really hope Prince Marth will be there when I arrive…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV, 24 minutes ago)**

"Really? Are you sure?" I asked the man at the gates of the village.

"I'm afraid so, lad" he nodded, "It was just a few days ago that Akaneian forces came here and detained him. We haven't heard from Lord Wendell since…"

I slapped my forehead in agitation and grumbled…

Great… Akaneia is really buckling down on us. Are the kids even alive now?

"Blast it… we were too late." Marth shook his head.

"Sorry you two… but it's the truth." The villager told us, "But before you leave, take this magic tome with you. It appears to be some sort of spell that harnesses the power of wind."

"Well, thanks… I guess." I replied as I take the book, passing it off to Linde.

As we left the gates, I looked toward the prince.

"Well, what do we do now, sire? Akaneia has taken Wendell, and we still don't know if the children are okay!"

"There's still Ogma, Chris." Marth answered me, "I doubt he'd let himself fall against these seafowl."

I nodded at this statement.

Ogma was my teacher in the ways of swordfighting, and he's one of the best swordsmen I know. I think he'll be fine… but even so, we'd better hurry and find him.

As we continued marching north in the sand, I had my spyglass out to scout for any unfriendly faces. My eyes eventually focused on a lone mercenary clashing weapons with a pirate…

Wait a second… I know that man! It's Ogma!

"Sire! Ogma's engaging the pirates!" I called to him, "We've got to help him!"

"Right!" Marth nodded, "Knights! We ride to the north! Engage any opposition that comes down on us!"

With no delay, we rushed onto the beach as several more pirates emerged from the nearby forts. As I witnessed Ogma struggling against his foe, I raced to where he was and thrusted my sword into the pirate while he was busy. Ogma was surprised to see me when I retrieved my weapon from the enemy's corpse…

"Chris? You're here too?"

"Of course, Ogma! Why wouldn't we be?" I grinned, but stopped when I noticed that the children weren't with him…

"Um… Ogma? How come the kids aren't with you?"

"Look, long story short is that I've left them with a trustworthy individual. They should be alright when we meet up with him again!" he said as he raced off to attack another pirate.

A trustworthy friend? What was he talking about?

Shaking my head, I went back to the task at hand as I engaged another pirate storming my way. Sidestepping his slow axe chop, I spun and sliced my weapon directly onto his back, forcing him to the ground. Before he could get back up, Linde had unleashed a bolt from her Thunder spell, fatally electrocuting him. Nodding gratefully to the mage, I bellowed a few orders…

"7th platoon! Handle what's left of the reinforcements! Meet back up with us to the east when they're all gone!"

I was pretty confident they could take care of themselves for the moment, as Arran would surely back them up while they took out what was left of the pirates in this area. In the meantime, I followed everyone else to the eastern part of the Holm coastline. It wasn't long before we noticed a very interesting sight…

The two Grustian royal children, Yumina and Yubello, were just across the bridge. The prince was unleashing small spheres of flame towards anyone attempting to cross the river. Joining him was our old friend Castor, as he helped the Grustian prince repel the opposition with his bow. However, one other person was on the bridge also fighting these pirates…

It was a black armored man, with some traces of gold also present on his armor. His eyes were obscured by a white mask with a black line across it, and he was expertly cutting down every pirate who attempted to charge at him.

Once I was done marveling at this paladin's skill, I followed Marth and the others into battle. Joining my teacher Ogma, we double teamed another pirate as he attempted to close in on Ryan. I was baiting and parrying his axe blows, thus allowing Ogma to sneak behind and run him through for the kill. As another opponent came to strike down Ogma, the paladin rode up to him and cut him down before he could sneak attack the mercenary…

"So you're back again, are you?" The paladin addressed Ogma, "And you have brought the Altean Army with you too…"

"Yes I have, Sirius." The mercenary replied, "Let us help you here!"

"Your timing is impeccable." The man now known as Sirius replied, "Their leader is now coming!"

As I looked south, I noticed that a massive hulk of a pirate was directing what was left of his crew to take us down. All of us (including my charges now) answered his challenge as the bowmen opened fire on all six of the pirates that the leader sent after us. This successfully crippled them, which allowed the rest of us to finish them off. After all of them fell to our weapons, I looked up to see the pirate leader looking awfully flabbergasted…

"Wh-What! How did you-?"

Marth stepped up to the pirate and narrowed his eyes, "I'll only warn you once. If you want to turn around and flee, this is your only chance."

His response was to snarl back at the prince, "Gr… shut up, you! I'll chop all you're heads off myself!"

Marth drew his rapier immediately as the pirate stomped his way towards him. His size proved detrimental as it slowed his swing down enough for Marth to quickly sidestep and slash with his rapier. The foe grunted painfully as it left a pretty decent cut on his side, but he lifted his axe again, this time attempting a side-swing. Marth was able to step away again, but not before catching a pretty good hit to the mid-section. Despite the pain, Marth thrusted again before the pirate could take another swing at him, and this hit proved fatal as the blade plunged deep into the pirate's chest. As the prince removed his weapon from his foe's body, he fell to the ground as a puddle of blood formed beneath the wound in his chest…

"Argh… I'll remember this… you basta- urgh…" were the last words to come out of his bloody mouth.

"Phew… good riddance." I noted, wiping the sweat from my brow. Sheathing my weapon next, I turned to see Sirius, Castor, and the kids come our way. As we took over the now vacant fort, I met once again with Marth and Jeigan.

"Commander… what do we do now? Akaneia's already taken the bishop, and we don't have any idea where they took him…"

Suddenly another voice piped in from around the corner…

"Wh-what? Master Wendell is gone…?"

Huh… Yubello's here?

Turning to the boy, I solemnly nodded, "I'm sorry, Lord Yubello… but it's true."

"I… I see." He looked down dejectedly…

Gah… I can't stand that look… I need to cheer him up somehow…

I knelt down to him, "Lord Yubello, don't have negative thoughts… we'll figure out where he is and rescue him. You don't need to worry…"

"Do… do you mean that? Truly?"

"Yes." I nodded resolutely, "No matter what happens, we'll do whatever it takes."

Yubello, although just a tad bit reluctant to trust me, smiled slightly, "Thank you… Chris… all of you."

"Not a problem." I replied, "Now run along."

As he left the foyer, Jeigan questioned me, "Christopher, was it really wise to say that we'd find Wendell? You said it yourself that we don't know where he might be…"

"Jeigan, the villagers did say that it was only a few days since Wendell was taken by Akaneia. I don't believe they've gone far. Where do you suppose the closest place they might've gone?" Marth questioned the elderly paladin.

Jeigan thought for a second before responding, "That would be Grust… so you're saying that Wendell is probably in Grust then?"

"That'd be the most likely case." I replied, "If we hurry, we can get over there and rescue him."

Suddenly, the doors flew open as Gordin rushed in, panic evident on his face…

"Sire! Princess Sheeda is here! She looked upset for some reason…"

Our eyes went up in shock. What was she doing all the way out here? We immediately hustled out of the fortress and sure enough, Sheeda was waiting for us outside…

"Sheeda? Even you've come here?" Marth questioned, "What is wrong?"

"Marth… Chris… it was horrible." Sheeda began, "Altea suffered a surprise assault from the combined forces of Akaneia, Gra, and Aurelis! Altea's forces were annihilated and the castle was taken over…"

I could feel my blood run cold as Marth's eyes widened in horror, "Wh-What? Altea' s fallen…? But why…"

As soon as I came back to my senses, I rounded upon Jeigan, "Commander… what the hell is going on? Why did the emperor decide to attack our home?"

Jeigan shook his head ruefully, "It is as I feared… it seems the emperor decided to hear out Lang's accusations against us. Now we've been declared traitors…"

Marth was finding this really hard to swallow, "I… no, this isn't right at all! Hardin… he was a trustworthy ally in the War of Shadows! Why would he believe Lang's lies?"

Wait a second… why does Jeigan look so pensive?

"Hm… even if that was the case, it's all happening too fast for it to make any sense. They wouldn't be able to attack us so quickly if they weren't…"

My eyes widened in realization, "No… you don't mean…"

"Yes, Christopher… Akaneia's military must've been ready and waiting for the correct time to strike." Jeigan confirmed.

Gah… how in the name of Anri did I not see this coming?

"That cheap bastard… he played us all like a bunch of puppets so that he'd have a good reason to do this!" I shouted in anger.

"Chris… Jeigan… what are you saying?" Marth questioned. My only response was to sigh and face him…

"The insurrections in Grust and Medon… it was all a setup." I attempted to explain, "Think about it, sire… why else would Hardin write in that letter to bring Altea's finest warriors?"

"No… it can't be!" Marth exclaimed, "Are you telling me that these rebellions were a ploy to divide Altea's strength?"

"I'm afraid it's true, my liege…" Jeigan replied, "The emperor… he's wanted to do this action from the very beginning, and we just gave him the perfect excuse by going against Lang…"

I looked on sadly as Marth took all of this in… he was shaking his head in utter disbelief.

"No! Impossible! You're telling me that Emperor Hardin attacked our country for no reason at all! That these rebellions were a trap! I can't believe he'd do something like this… it's not like him at all!"

Jeigan replied, "Sire, I know it's hard to take in, but the fact remains that Akaneia has attacked us and without warning either. What the emperor did was completely dishonorable and we now need to fight back with everything we have."

If Marth was listening, he wasn't showing it. It had to have been difficult to see a very close ally betray him like that…

Well, there was Gra, but then again… Altea's relations weren't as good with them as some would think…

Seeing that the prince was reduced to a sputtering mess, I turned to Sheeda…

"Lady Sheeda, is everyone else alright? What of my grandfather and Lady Elice?"

She looked down sadly…

"I don't know what became of Sir Malledus, Chris… but Lady Elice was forced to become their hostage so that I could escape…"

Upon hearing that Elice was once again in danger, Marth was quick to regain his composure…

"My sister is gone?"

"Yes…" Sheeda replied, a few tears beginning to flow, "Marth… I am so sorry. When I saw how Altea was overrun by Akaneia's forces, I couldn't do anything…"

Marth put a hand on her soldier, causing her to look up…

"Sheeda, please don't cry… your safety came first at that point, and it's good to see that you still live. Besides… it is I who should apologize. Our actions just sped up this mess… and it was because of us that you had to experience these awful events…"

He released her shoulder, and tightened his fist…

"But we will make it right again…" he vowed, "We'll do whatever it takes to reclaim Altea again, even if it means doing battle with Hardin!"

I nodded in agreement…

Hardin… he may have been our friend in the past, but if he's willing to throw that friendship away in favor of invading our home, then he must pay for his actions.

"Well, thank you for the warning, Sheeda." Jeigan responded, "We'll need to rest here for the night, but we'll depart at the first sign of daybreak."

"Sounds good, commander." I responded, fighting down the dread of what might've become of my grandfather…

XXXXXXXXXX

That evening, I was in my temporary quarters, writing down all that had gone down earlier that day…

As I did this, I took a moment to take in all that had happened…

Grust was still being oppressed by Akaneia…

Sister Lena and Lady Maria were both captured by the assassins…

And now Altea is once again under occupation, this time by a former ally…

What is going on in this continent? Why is there such chaos and mayhem running rampant under Hardin's rule? Is Hardin even the same man we knew him to be?

Gah… this is just too strange…

Wrapping up my log entry, I closed my logbook. However, I wasn't ready to turn in for the night just yet, so I decided to just wander the halls of the fort for a while…

"Yubello, what were you thinking talking to that man? He's part of those responsible for what they did to Lorenz and for the destruction of our home!"

Eh? That sounded like Yumina…

Pressing my ear to my door, I could barely make out footsteps sounding off near my room. They were getting slightly louder as they approached my door…

"But sister…" another voice, Yubello's this time, spoke up, "Sir Ogma did say that he once had a student that fought under his tutelage… that he was a trustworthy individual…"

"That doesn't matter." Yumina said flatly as their footsteps began to fade out, "He was an Altean, and his kingdom was responsible for destroying Grust in the last war. Because of people like him, we've no home to return to! Our own father is gone because of them!"

Hm… either my ears are already failing me, or she seems quite bitter about the state Grust is in…

Quietly opening my door, I shut it behind me as I exited the room. As I noticed the two children going to some gathering area inside the fort, I silently followed them, all the while listening in on their little conversation…

"Yumina…" the young prince hesitantly started, "Prince Marth… that other man… they don't seem like bad people. Why do you continue to distrust them?"

"Why do YOU continue to trust them, brother?" Yumina bit back, "Even now they might be plotting against us! I still can't understand why Ogma says we should trust him, despite that they're still working for the empire!"

I shook my head in slight annoyance. I think I'd better put a stop to this line of thinking…

"That is where you're wrong, Lady Yumina." I responded, surprising both of them, "Altea has cut all ties with the empire already."

Once we had already reached the lobby of the stronghold, they both turned to face me. Yumina, the more confident of the two, spoke first, "And just what do _you_ want from us?"

Ignoring the scowl on her face, I responded, "What I want is for you to trust us. We're not the ones you need to be angry at."

"How do you figure that?" she replied as her eyes narrowed.

"Just sit tight and listen, you two." I responded in a tone that brooked no room for argument.

Once I got their attention, I continued, "Prince Marth and the rest of us felt horrible when we couldn't do anything to help you two against that creep, Lang. As soon as we heard that you had escaped with my former teacher, Ogma, we were relieved to know you were both safe, and so we dedicated our time and efforts to make sure you would both have a future… that's why we believe you'll be better protected in our custody."

Well, my words seem to have Yubello convinced easily enough, but it looks like Yumina still isn't buying my explanation…

"Why should we believe that?" she started again, "You and the prince were responsible for killing General Lorenz!"

"Yeah, about that…" I attempted to explain some more, "The fact of the matter is, Lord Marth and I had no intention of battling him. He was already badly injured from the empire's forces, and so he… turned his own dagger on himself, to end his suffering."

That look on Yumina's face told me she doubted what I just said…

"Look, whether or not you believe me is another matter entirely, but that is what actually happened."

Her eyes still narrowed at me, she responded, "Even if I were to believe you, you and the prince are Altean. Your nation was responsible for destroying our homeland and allowing the empire to keep it in ruins! What is stopping you from throwing us to the mercy of the empire again?"

I narrowed my eyes on her in return…

"Lady Yumina… our enemy was the Doluna Empire, of which your father aligned Grust to in the War of Shadows. With all due respect, your father was foolish to believe that anything good could come from an alliance with that evil regime. I may not speak for the prince on this matter, but I never held any ill will towards Grust in the previous war, as there were some people from there that I had met and fought against that were truly honorable…"

As I finished this, two particular people came to mind… and the painful memories of what became of them made me look down remorsefully.

"Who do you speak of?" she questioned me warily.

"One of them you already know… General Lorenz." I replied, "The other… was the captain of your nation's greatest military squadron, the Sable Order. I may not have agreed with his ideals… but he was a good man. It still hurts some knowing that I had to fight… and kill him."

Yubello finally spoke up here, "No… are you saying… you're the one who fought and defeated General Camus?"

I nodded solemnly…

"What? You mean to tell me that _you, _who likely had little in the way of combat experience, were the one who defeated Grust's mightiest general?" Yumina questioned in disbelief.

"You can believe what you will, but it is the truth. Had we not been healed immediately, Lord Marth and I would've shortly followed him to the afterlife…"

"Hmph…" the young princess huffed indignantly, "I should've suspected that you would only win through sheer dumb luck…"

I had nothing to say to that remark. It WAS true, after all…

Brushing that thought aside, I continued, "Look, the point is… when I battled, I directed my sword not towards Grust… but towards Doluna and its inhabitants." I clarified, "It was mostly through unfortunate circumstances that Grust, and _maybe _Medon, had to be brought down alongside that evil empire."

"I do not care about that…" Yumina replied, still miffed at me, but noticeably less so now, "The fact still stands that it was because of you that Grust is all but annihilated now and you and your country are to blame for it…"

I sighed, "That is true… Altea, and the entire Akaneian League, was responsible for that happening. I just told you why we did what we did…"

Before she turned away, I continued, "But if you still want proof that we're not your enemy, then watch us… we'll prove ourselves to both of you. Lang will pay for his atrocities, and we will be the ones to bring justice upon him and the Akaneian Empire."

Yumina looked at me, as if she were looking for any insincerity in my expression. After a few seconds, she responded to me…

"Fine… we will see for ourselves if you'll stay true to your words," she replied, "But know this… I do not trust you or your friends any more than before, so if you really want to earn our trust, you're going to have to earn it. You should be thankful I'm giving you this chance to prove yourself, sir knight."

Nodding curtly, I responded, "You won't regret it, milady… you'll see… and for future reference, my name is Chris."

Yumina said nothing, opting instead to leave for her room. Her brother followed shortly after…

Letting out a sigh, a single thought graced my mind…

'_Well… that went better than I hoped for…'_

However, before I got back up to return to my room, another voice sounded off…

"I must say, you handled yourself pretty well with those two…"

Turning around, I noticed that the masked knight from before was also here…

"Oh! Er… you're the one called Sirius… right?" I questioned.

"Yes, that is my name."

"Right then…" I replied, "So how long were you listening?"

"I walked in when you mentioned the two men from Grust…" Sirius explained.

"I see… so what are you here for? Why are you with our troop?"

"Ogma recommended that I join him so that he can help me get vengeance upon this man known as Lang. I'm also here so that I can watch over Prince Yubello and Princess Yumina, and so I believed that joining this group would be the best way to keep an eye on them."

I nodded in understanding…

"So, you're also going after Lang, huh? Well, glad to see we share a common goal…"

He seemed to look at me in confusion…

"I'm sure you've heard of all the atrocities he's committed during his occupation of Grust, but after ratting us out to Emperor Hardin… our kingdom came under assault by Akaneia."

My fists tightened…

"That's why after we get rid of Lang, we're going after Hardin next, but…"

Sirius gave me a look that told me to continue…

"It still makes no sense at all… Hardin was a good man before, and he'd never go to war without a very good reason. What brought on this sudden change in behavior?"

As I finished, the masked knight looked pensive…

"Christopher… whatever the reason, Hardin doesn't seem any more like the man you and your liege once knew." Sirius told me, "Prince Marth had built a deep trust for the Aurelian duke, so I question whether or not he'll have the strength to do battle with him when the time comes…"

"If he doesn't, then I'll do the fighting for him…" I responded, "I think it'd be painful for him to have his hands stained with his blood. I'll take down the emperor myself so he won't have to endure that kind of sorrow…"

A small smile graced the masked knight's face, but then it soon faded…

"Well, if you truly plan to do that, you'll need to train vigorously for that day." Sirius told me, "For now, however, you should rest… Grust is our next destination now, so we'll all need to be ready."

"Right…"

Getting up from my seat, we both went down the halls to our respective rooms. However… as I was looking at the masked knight from behind, a strange familiar feeling soon came over me, as memories of a particular man flashed through my mind…

"Camus…?" I blurted out…

Saying that name caused the man to stop and face me once again…

"Christopher…? What is wrong? Who is this Camus person you're speaking of?"

Shaking my head to ward off these memories, I responded, "I… I'm sorry… it's just that, looking at you from behind, you… you looked like a man I once met and fought in the past…"

"Is that so?"

"Yeah… he was a truly honorable man… and it pains me to know we had to be on opposing sides in the last war." I spoke solemnly, "The fact that Lady Nyna… loved that man, the same one who died by my hand, does nothing to help that fact…"

Sirius looked down thoughtfully at this, "Perhaps in another life, you two probably would've had a good friendship that would transcend your opposing principles…"

"Yeah…" I nodded, "But there's nothing to be done about it now. We should just go to sleep now… we've got a big mission to complete when we get to Grust."

"Right…"

After bidding the masked knight a good evening, I went to my room and went to my bed. Sleep was quick to come as I shut my eyes…

We got the children back, though it will take some time before I can earn their trust…

Now all that remains is to eliminate Lang and ensure that the empire doesn't oppress Grust any longer.

When that day comes, we'll all be ready. That bald worm will pay for what he's done…

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER**

_Whew! Now this monster of a chapter is finished!_

_Sorry about the wait, everyone. Things have been keeping me busy lately, so it really cut into my writing time…_

_Anyways, if you've any reviews or commentary, feel free to say so._

_Until next time, farewell._


	20. A Future for Grust

_**DISCLAIMER:**Zzzz…. Oh, huh? Wha?_

_Gah, I've been sleeping too long on this one…_

_Right then, Fire Emblem is not mine. It belongs to Nintendo and Intelligent Systems._

_***REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_**ExposedWiresExposedVeins: **Thanks as always for your continued support. Though, maybe I should look more into the mannerisms of the time period these games take place, so the dialogue or actions don't look so out of place…_

_***END REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_Now then, let's get the next chapter up and running… *yawn*_

* * *

**CHAPTER 18**

**A Future for Grust**

"Ha…. Gurgh…. Grah!"

The sound of intense sparring between me and Ogma filled the air as the ship we were taking to Grust sailed north. Cord and Bord were watching us both, judging our technique.

This was an intense test of skills, as I had already suffered several hits from Ogma's trainer sword and I landed only a couple of my own attacks against him. Raising my weapon once more, I rushed forward to cut at his chest, but he was quick to block my strike and lash out with a kick, nailing me in my stomach and knocking the wind out of me. It took a few seconds to recover, but I countered with an upward swing, which he sidestepped. I was about to follow up with another attack, but Ogma's fluid movements allowed for him to take a swing while dodging my previous attack, and so he stopped his sword right at my neck.

"You're dead, Chris."

Realizing that if this were a real battle, I would've lost, I dropped my weapon and sighed in defeat…

"What's happened to you, Chris?" Cord asked as he came up to me, "The last time we all fought together, you were able to match Captain Ogma blow for blow by the war's end. Now you're hardly any better than when we first started training you!"

"I… I don't know…"

"Cord is right, Chris." Ogma added, "When you were coming at me, you didn't look very focused. That's not going to do you any favors when you're in battle."

I retorted, "I was just careless, Ogma. It usually takes a long time for the student to surpass the teacher… doesn't it?"

"Perhaps, but that's not the only reason you did so poorly." Ogma stated to me with a knowing look.

Nngh… I guess there's no sense in hiding it now.

"Yeah… you're right." I conceded, "Truth is, after I heard what happened to Altea, I've been fraught with worry on my grandfather's current state…"

"How do you mean?" Bord asked.

"When I went to say goodbye to him before the mission to stop the rebellion, he… he looked awfully pale." I explained, dread filling my voice as I continued speaking, "And now that Altea's been taken over…"

"I see…" Cord noted, "You think your grand-dad may be in danger with Akaneia now occupying the nation."

I solemnly nodded.

"Chris…" Ogma brought my attention towards him, "Forgive me for sounding cold here, but… there's naught you can do for him right now. We're no match for the empire as we are right now, so we must get more allies on our side before we can think of challenging them…"

I looked up at him…

As much as I didn't want to concede this point, Ogma was correct.

Cord then spoke up to attempt to lighten the mood…

"You know, captain… this almost seems like old times, doesn't it? We're all together and fighting in another great conflict!"

"True…" Ogma nodded, "But we're still down one member…"

"Yeah… we've no idea where Barst might be." Bord replied…

My thoughts turned to my former axe teacher…

Is he still a pirate like I've heard he was? Where could he be now? Is he even alive still?

"Well, we'd better head back below deck. I'm sure we'll be on Grust's shores by tomorrow morning." Ogma said, interrupting my thoughts.

Doing as he suggested, we returned back to our cabins. Tomorrow we begin our next plan of attack, and that is to liberate Grust from that monster's hold…

XXXXXXXXXX

_**DATE: April 8  
TIME: 11:43 A.M.  
LOCATION: 7 miles east of Olbern Castle, in Grust's heartland**_

_Company morale among our forces had suffered a tremendous blow upon hearing Sheeda's grave news…_

_Compounding the panic and apprehension of my grandfather's safety was the utter incredulity and bewilderment of the cause of this situation…_

_Hardin… he was a vital ally in the previous war and a man of trustworthy character, so why this? Why would he bring our homeland of Altea to its knees?_

_Just what have we done wrong with our ties to him?_

_Well… as much as we wanted to return home, we still had one major obstacle standing in our way._

_It was time we got rid of Lang, for the sake of Grust's future. Our scouts have indicated that the occupation forces, led by that corrupt worm himself, were based in Olbern Keep, deep in the center of Grustian Territory. To the citizens living in fear under the man's rule, it was better known as 'The Nest of Vice'…_

_No matter what, however, we'll meet his challenge head on! That man won't stop us from freeing Grust from his clutches!_

_-Chris_

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Lang POV)**

It had been several days since my forces captured that bishop that sheltered the royal children…

After all my interrogations of that man, he still refuses to tell me the whereabouts of those brats. As such, I decided I'd execute that foolish old man personally, but after I do away with that pathetic prince and his motley crew of nobodies.

As I surveyed the area outside my keep, I noticed that Toras, my subordinate, was shaking nervously as he approached me. With fear still etched into his expression, he gave me the news of what was going on…

"C-Commander Lang!" he started, "I-It's Altea's forces! T-They've spotted our forces and they're preparing to attack!"

Bah, is that all he has to tell me? Such a waste of time…

I responded, "You idiot! Get a hold of yourself! You don't seriously think those Altean fleas have a chance, do you? They're no match for us!"

What he said next however…

"B-But commander! Sir Jeorge's archers have already left to quell the rebellion! Do you really think we can win just by ourselves?"

Nngh, Jeorge… that fool! What was he thinking? I need his men back here at once!

"Call Jeorge back here now, and while you're doing that, get in contact with Navarre also! We'll need his skills to do away with those cretins!"

"Y-Yes sir…"

"As for you, you must stay out here and defend the entrance to the keep. I'll be inside manning the defenses inside. Do whatever you have to do to get rid of them!"

Dismissing the meek man, I returned to the throne room to meet with my own soldiers.

Those blasted Alteans… they'll rue the day that they stand against the empire!

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Jeorge POV)**

"Alright men, listen carefully…" I said as I addressed my team, "The emperor has sent us out here to suppress the rebellion. All I want from all of you is to make sure no one gets hurt in your efforts."

"Yes sir!" all of them responded.

As I continued my briefing, my thoughts drifted to the reason I was sent to this nation…

It all seems so strange… why is that corrupt snake Lang still a general of Akaneia? Didn't the people know that he sympathized with Doluna in the previous war?

Also… I may have known Bishop Boah for a long while, and I continue to respect him even today, but was it seriously a good idea to have Hardin of Aurelis be wed to our beloved Princess Nyna? It seems more like he's just here for her rather than the good of our kingdom. More recently, however… he's become such a cold, ruthless leader now. It's hard to believe I once fought alongside that man…

And now this mission…

The emperor claims that it's for the good of the empire, but it seems more and more like it's only an excuse to prevent Grust's recovery… and while it's true that this nation had a hand in destroying my country, I wouldn't wish death and destruction on those that had no part in it…

As I finished my briefing, I shook my head…

Why am I still serving these two men…?

I brushed those thoughts aside as I noticed a soldier approaching…

"Captain!" he called out, "Commander Lang requested that we return to the castle immediately!"

Frowning at this, I shook my head and replied, "This same man who threatens the civilians here with slavery and death wants us to help him now? I'm not going to stand by and let him keep this up… so just ignore his order."

"W-What?" he sounded surprised at this, "But… captain, if you do that you'll be charged with treason like Altea was! Wait… do you mean to side with Altea now?"

Side with Altea?

Nngh… as tempting as it is, I can't do that… I'm still a soldier of Akaneia, and to leave now would put my men in danger…

I sighed at this thought… Gordin, I hope you and your brother will be alright…

"Captain?"

Shaking my head, I replied, "Alright, listen… I want all of you to hold your positions. Do not engage the enemy until they show signs of hostility."

"Understood, captain!" he saluted and returned to his post.

Nodding back, I looked back towards Altea's forces… and hoped to myself that we wouldn't have to fight each other…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV, 18 minutes ago)**

It was nearing midday as our army marched onward into the heart of Grustian territory. During our march, I couldn't help but notice Yubello and Yumina looking on sadly as they noticed the citizenry still living in fear and despair…

There was no doubt in our minds that Lang was the reason for their sorrow. He needed to be taken down and it has to be done immediately.

With my spyglass at my eye, I scouted ahead to look for any opposition…

Hm… a trio of armored knights is guarding the bridge to the castle… and a couple of ballistae are also stationed there too!

Focusing north this time, I noticed a blue-haired axe-man resting under a tree, as though he just-

Woah! What are the chances of this happening? I've got to see him, and quickly!

Putting that thought aside for a short while, I kept looking forward and noticed a small team of snipers were just north of the axe-man. What startled me though was that they were all led by Jeorge, our former ally, and he had the Parthia in hand!

I cringed inwardly…

If a shot from that bow hit us, it would be over in a matter of seconds. His other comrades don't look like rookies either…

Putting away my spyglass, I turned to Marth to brief him of our surroundings…

"Sire, we might have problems here…" I started, "A division of Akaneian snipers is just north of our current position. They're led by Jeorge, and he has the Parthia on him also!"

"Jeorge is here?" Marth questioned, then looked down pensively, "Hm… this does bode ill. We can't let our fliers near them, especially if the Parthia is in their possession."

"Right… but I got a good look at Jeorge while scouting… it doesn't look like he wanted to come here." I explained, "This might be a bit of a gamble, but perhaps it'd be best if we just ignore them."

Jeigan then questioned me, "Christopher, are you sure that is a wise decision?"

"I am," I nodded, "If my theory is correct, then they won't bother with us if we don't bother them."

My view turned toward a particular archer in our forces…

"Besides… I don't think Gordin would appreciate us killing his mentor."

With a map of the area in hand, we laid out our plan of attack.

"Okay, here's how we'll proceed…" Jeigan began as he pointed to our position.

Several O's on the map represented our forces, while the enemy forces stationed at the castle and its vicinity were represented with multiple X's. The elderly paladin circled half our forces and drew an arrow going south and west, where the castle was. He did the same thing with the other half, except that arrow was to move north and west, around the mountains.

"Sire, based on the information Christopher has provided, I believe it's best if we divide our forces into two factions; One to seize the gates of the castle, and another to rout any opposition around the mountains."

"I see…" Marth nodded, "Alright, I'll lead the squadron to take the castle."

"And I'll take my charges and a few others to disperse any foes around the mountains. We'll do whatever it takes to avoid Jeorge's squadron." I added.

"Very well," Jeigan nodded, "Take a few minutes to decide who to take, and we'll march on your signal, sire."

After several minutes of deciding how to advance, we eventually settled on who to take. Our forces assembled, Marth gave out our signal…

"All forces, move out now!"

And so, with a mighty war call, our forces split off into two units and we charged towards our designated routes…

Leading my forces up north, Cord and I decided to go speak to that blue-haired axe-man. As he got up from his little nap underneath a tree, he looked surprised to see us both.

"Ah… huh? Chris? Bord? What are you two doing here?"

Cord put a hand to his forehead… "It's Cord, Barst… and we could pretty much ask you the same thing. What are you doing out in the middle of a battlefield?"

"Eh? A battlefield?" Barst sounded confused, "What are you talking about?"

"The one occupying the castle west of here needs to be taken down." I explained, "I'm just here to disperse any ambush that they might try."

Cord then offered, "Say, Barst… why don't you join us? I'll bet the captain will be happy to see you!"

"Thanks, but no thanks…" he shook his head, "I've never really wanted to fight in wars… I really wanted to be a lumberjack myself."

Huh… so it seems.

I addressed his statement, "Barst… listen, I'm not one for war myself, but I fight anyway, so that others may not know the horrors that it brings. All I'm asking is that you do the same… so please, just help us."

He stared at me silently, before he ultimately replied with a heavy sigh…

"Fine… I'll see what I can do. You'd better show me how much you've grown though, Chris!" he replied as he hefted his axe. He followed us into my unit and we continued our march to the north.

"Understood. Welcome back, Barst." I nodded with a slight smirk.

Once again, Barst proved himself a formidable fighter as he downed an oncoming cavalier with one hefty swing of his axe. A second swing to the ground later, and his head was separated from the rest of his body. More cavaliers came onto the scene, so I signaled for everyone to attack. Luke and Rody ran one through on their lances, while Yubello sent a sphere of flame at another, scorching him fatally. Two more cavaliers rode forward and I quickly jumped aside to avoid a sword slash from one of them, but as he circled around to try again, Castor and Warren fired a couple of arrows at him. As the arrows pierced through his armor, he was in too much pain to raise his sword, so I hopped up and swung my blade, knocking him off his mount, and I ran him through on my own sword as he struggled to get back up. The last cavalier was riding forward and he had his lance raised, but Cord lobbed a hand axe in his direction, clipping his right arm and relieving of his weapon. With the foe now defenseless, Linde sent sharp blades of wind from the Shaver tome in her hand. It was no Excalibur magic to be sure, but the wind blasts were effective enough to slice right through the cavalier.

As I swiped my sword to get the blade off, Barst approached me…

"Not bad, Chris… but how come you have no axes on hand?"

At this, I nervously scratched the back of my head…

"Er… I was in a hurry when Lord Marth and my charges left to head for Grust. Heh… I kinda forgot my shield too…"

Barst just shook his head…

"Well, even so… you still know how to use one, right?"

A long, awkward silence soon followed as I looked around nervously…

"You've slacked off since the last war, haven't you?" the axe-fighter deadpanned.

"Er… maybe?"

With a heavy sigh, he shook his head and hefted his axe, "Never mind… let's just keep moving."

With our forces marching onward, we were immediately beset by a trio of dracoknights. After a quick jump back to avoid one of their javelins, I immediately signaled for all ranged fighters to take them all down. Yubello sent a couple of balls of fire, scorching one of the beasts and stunning its rider, and allowing Linde a shot from the Shaver book, sending several sharp blades of wind to shred both wyvern and rider. As they both came crashing back to the ground, Warren and Castor were sending arrows to the skies to repel the other two wyverns. It wasn't until a well-aimed headshot from the blond hunter and a lucky strike from one of Luke's javelin that the other two riders fell to the ground, dead as could be.

After a few more minutes of marching, we eventually stumbled upon a small village. Figuring that it'd be best to warn them of the commotion outside, I wandered inside.

"Everyone! There's a battle going on outside! Lock this place down immediately!"

As everyone ran for cover and bolted down their doors, I noticed an elderly gentleman approach me on his way to his home…

"Thank you, kind sir, for warning us of the battle outside. We're in your debt…"

"Think nothing of it, sir." I replied, but then I noticed a familiar staff in his hand…

"Um, pardon me… is that the Hammerene staff you're holding?"

"Ah, yes it is…" he hesitantly answered, "My grand-daughter, Lena, asked me to hold it for her… but it has been a while since I last heard from her. Do you know where she is…?"

As he trailed off, wondering what my name is, I answered, "My name is Chris, one of Prince Marth's men… and as for Sister Lena, I… I'm afraid I don't know where she may be."

Disappointment evident on his face, he replied, "I… I see… then this Hammerene staff will be of no use for you and your companions…"

"Well, blast…"

"Wait… hold that thought, I seem to recall that Lena had an apprentice… I believe her name was… Malliesia?"

Woah! So Malliesia is actually Sister Lena's successor? Gee, what were the chances…?

"So you say… well, she's with us now. Do you think she's able to use it?"

"Hm… well, in the last letter I received, she did say that her apprentice's progress is going smoothly, enough that she may be ready to use this staff. Perhaps she may be able to use it… so go ahead and take it with you."

"Thanks!" I replied as I accepted the staff, "We'll put this to good use."

Leaving the gates, I returned back to my unit and directed everyone south and east, hoping to meet up with the prince at the other end…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Marth POV, 23 minutes ago)**

Leaving Chris and his forces to his task, I directed my own unit south. However, just as we approached the walkway to Olbern Keep, I noticed that Julian diverted a little bit from our formation and…

Hey! It's Rickard! Was he attempting to come here too?

I shook my head… that was foolish question. If the keep we're going to has treasure in it, then of course Rickard would come to a place like this. Either way, he eventually came into our formation after a little bit of coaxing from Julian.

We continued our march to the castle, but it wasn't easy. Our fliers were forced to stay back to avoid getting pelted by enemy ballistae…

"Keep moving! We've got to avoid those shots!"

"Augh!" I heard Bord cry out as a bolt struck his arm. Immediately calling for Malliesia to heal him, I witnessed Draug matching lances with a couple of armored knights. Fortunately, Draug's armor was much thicker (due to him being a General), so any bolts that came his way bounced right off him and the enemy knights' lances did little except scratch his armor. Using the blunt end of his steel lance, he knocked aside one of the armored knights and thrusted the sharp end into the chest of the other knight. As he freed his weapon from the opponent, Draug immediately sidestepped the remaining foe's stab and countered with his own attack, plunging his spear into the foe's chest, ending him immediately.

We were getting extremely close to the keep now, and we could hear the enemy commander shouting numbers in his ballista…

"Adjust to position 445! FIRE!"

We wasted no time charging in to dismantle the two ballistae, as Ogma raced in and cut down the operator, rendering his machine useless. As for me, I charged toward the other ballistician (who seemed to be the commander) and surprised him. He attempted to reach for a dagger at his side, but before he could brandish his weapon, I immediately disarmed him with one quick slash to his wrist. I followed it up with a thrust to his chest, piercing his heart and felling him with ease…

"A… argh… Commander… Altea… they're too powerful…" he sputtered out.

I shook my head at this. Was this all Lang could muster?

Suddenly, a bright glow began to shine from his satchel!

Curiosity taking over, I opened his pack…

Hey… this is another one of those orbs like the one Chris found!

Peering closer, I took note of the constellation it held… Gemini.

All that remained were a small platoon of cavaliers, but with Sirius' skills and Draug's impregnable defenses, none of them stood a chance. It was only a few minutes later that Chris' squadron met up with my own, looking slightly battered but otherwise alright.

"Sire, the outlying areas have been successfully secured." Chris told me, then he held out…

"And I met up with Sister Lena's grandfather. He's given us the Hammerene staff, and he claims that Malliesia may be able to use it…"

"Thank you, Chris. That was well done." I said as I accepted the staff and passed it on to Malliesia.

Jeigan then spoke up, "Sire, it's time to assault the castle. I'm sure he's set up his defenses by now…"

"You're right." I nodded, "And we've got to rout him from these lands. Grust cannot be restored until he has been defeated."

"Then we'll give it everything we've got and bring him down!" Chris declared, "He will pay for all he has done, and we will be the ones to make it happen!"

"Right!" I added, then turned to our forces, "Everyone, it's time to assault the keep! Let's go!"

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

_**DATE: April 8  
TIME: 2:42 PM  
LOCATION: Inside Olbern Castle**_

_Although we've successfully routed most of Lang's forces from Grust's land, Lang and the last of his cronies are still holed up in this keep._

_Throughout his tenure here, this creep has stolen wealth and possessions, young girls, and even lives from these poor citizens… and I was certain his atrocities would only continue if left unchecked._

_I'd be pretty hard-pressed to think of anyone else as cruel as this bastard…_

_We need to end his existence right here and now!_

_So let us take courage! For the sake of this nation's future, Lang must be destroyed!_

_-Chris_

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Lang POV)**

Having given orders to my troops to defend the castle to the death, I strapped my steel blade onto my armor, ready to face those cretins myself if need be. I smirked when I heard my troops shouting that they had come inside…

"It's the Altean army! They've stormed the gates! Everyone hold their positions!" one of my sub-commanders cried out.

'_Hmph… so those fools decided to come after all, have they? Ha! They won't be expecting our ambush from the rear… and that should prove to be their undoing!'_

Brushing that thought aside, I turned my attention to the long-haired myrmidon in purple clothing…

"Navarre!" I beckoned the swordsman to come, "Your task is to eliminate anyone who comes in from one of the halls leading to this room. It doesn't matter how you do your job, just murder them all!"

The swordsman nodded, "Yeah, of course… that Altean rabble means nothing to me… yeah."

Huh, that's odd… wouldn't he be more…

Bah! Now is not the time to be paranoid! I've got a battle to win!

"Good. I expected no less from the infamous 'Scarlet Swordsman'. As long as you're under my command, not even that cretin from Talys, Ogma, can beat us!"

"Wait… Ogma's here? Er… um… yeah, I can handle him…" he hesitantly replied.

This is strange… what is he so tense about? Bah, I'm sure it's nothing.

"Good, then I leave the rest up to you. Don't fail me, Navarre!" I bellowed as I dismissed him. He nodded, gripping his Killing Edge tightly, before making his way down the halls to assist my men. In the meantime, I had what was left of my knights block off the entrance to this room…

"Guards, hear me! Kill anyone who attempts to get into this room!"

You dogs of Altea. You will learn your place in the glorious empire's rule!

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

Once we got inside the castle, Julian and Rickard both scouted ahead for any opposition that we'd surely face here. After a few minutes they returned to our formation…

"Well? What did you see?" I questioned them…

It was Julian who spoke first, "Several armored knights are waiting in the west wing of this fort. Try bringing a few axes to face them."

Rickard added, "There are some chests on the opposite end of the keep! Permission to gather them?"

"Permission granted." Marth nodded.

"Let us spread out then!" Commander Jeigan exclaimed, "All axe-men engage the knights to the west! Mages will stand by and support them! Move out now!"

With that, I ordered my platoon to hold their positions while I followed Julian to the higher level of the east wing. A lone mage was guarding a couple of chests, so we had our swords out ready to face him…

"Eh? Intruders! You're not getting these treasures! They belong to General Lang!" he shouted.

"Sorry, but he won't be needing them where he's going." I replied dangerously.

Admittedly, he was pretty quick for me as I attempted to slash at him. He immediately had his tome open and I had to leap out of the way before he let out a searing blast of flames from his Elfire tome. Before he could raise his hand again to cast another incantation, Julian immediately jumped in and sliced at him, finishing him off with a quick thrust of his weapon. The mage fell to the floor, no longer as one of the living.

That was too close…

"Thanks, Julian…" I told the former thief, "You really saved my hide back there."

He grinned, "Don't mention it, buddy. Now let's see what that man was holding…"

With considerable dexterity, the two chests were soon opened and its contents were revealed to us.

"Hm… a Barrier staff." I mused, "This'll probably be useful…"

But then, Julian's eyes widened in surprise…

"Hey! What in the world is this thing?"

Wondering what he was going on about, I approached the thief and… woah!

It was another one of those little orbs with the constellations in them! This had to be the third one we've collected now!

"Well, we've got what we came for… now let's meet back with the others!" I suggested, and so we hurried back into the entrance of the keep…

…only to see that the 7th platoon was pushing back against the enemy reinforcements plaguing the area. I hurried to their aid, slicing down a knight that Rody had softened up with his lance. Ryan and Castor were shooting down the soldiers as they attempted to pour in, as Cecil cut down any that were still standing. Just as a few more soldiers attempted to rush us, I heard a couple of voices…

"Here they are! I've found them!"

"Let's move then!"

Suddenly, all of them collapsed to the floor as a few arrows and javelins eliminated them from the rear. My squadron and I looked up to see the source of those projectiles…

Hey, wait a second… I know those two. The girl with the bow is Norne, an old friend from the previous war! And the other one…

No… no way! How…

I barely registered this man coming up to me and handing me the supplies I neglected to take with me on this first trip to Grust, specifically a few hand-axes and my shield. I could only nod as he told me, "Good to see you again, Christopher. You sure have grown all these years…"

Turning my attention back to Norne, the shock lessened slightly as she told me, "Hey Chris! It's been a long time!"

"Er… yeah it has, Norne." I hesitantly replied, "But… I thought you were done with fighting…"

"I was… but after Akaneia had come and taken over Altea, I had to escape. Sir Frey helped me get away, so we're here to help you guys!" She responded.

"Is that right…"

Suddenly, I heard Luke come up to me, "Hey Captain! They just got the door to the throne room open! Let's hurry up and move!"

Hearing this, I turned to Norne and Frey, "Well, we can catch up later. Let's hurry up and beat that snake Lang!"

With Norne and Frey now among us, we hurried to the north to get to the throne room. We would end up passing through the door only to end up in another room, with the throne room just down the hallway to the east. With Ogma and I heading that way, we were suddenly stopped by…

Huh? What's Navarre doing here? And why is he fighting us again?

Oddly enough, however, he seemed to be more interested in the Killing Edge he was currently holding…

"Man… this Killing Edge is so deadly…" I heard him mutter.

Ogma, on the other hand, was shaking his head, "Navarre… what a disappointment. I thought you were better than this…" The mercenary hefted his sword, "But if you really wish to duel with me, then let's have at it."

This seemed to catch the myrmidon's attention as he ended up spouting off in a manner much unlike the aloof swordmaster I fought alongside…

"W-Woah, hey! Hold on a second, Mister Ogma!" he frantically put up his hands, "It's me, Samto! Don't you remember?"

Eh? He's someone else? What's going on here…?

Surprise filled Ogma's expression as he replied, "Wait… are you saying you're the gladiator from Knorda, Samto?"

The myrmidon, apparently named Samto, nodded, "Yeah… the very same one. I want to thank you for helping me all those years ago…"

"Look, now's not the time…" Ogma tried to say, but I had piped up by then, as I really wanted to know what was going on with those two…

"Hey Ogma, how do you know this guy?" I questioned him.

Samto ended up answering for me, "Oh that's easy, kid! He helped me and a few buddies of mine escape from the fightmongers at Knorda's coliseums. But I got worried when he failed to catch up with us…"

Ogma stayed silent as Samto briefly told me what happened, though judging from his expression, he really didn't seem to want to relive those memories…

"… it wasn't until a few days later that we learned that Ogma would be tortured, but even then he never divulged our escape." Samto continued, "And ultimately, it was thanks to the young princess of Talys that he was saved from those guys! Thus, he would end up wielding his sword once again… for her."

I was pretty sure Samto might've continued if Ogma didn't interrupt him sternly.

"Samto, that's enough! All of that happened a long time ago, and I'd rather not dwell on it now."

Although Samto did stop his story, my sword instructor's past still had my curiosity piqued…

"Sorry, mister Ogma… but I really want to repay you for helping me, so can I join you and your buddies?"

The mercenary sighed, "I guess that'd be fine."

"Great! Thanks!" Navarre's dead-ringer replied, then he ended up turning towards me, "So who are you, kid?"

"My name's Chris." I replied, shaking his hand, "I guess you might say I was Ogma's student in the way of the sword. He taught me pretty much most of what I know."

As he nodded, I noticed something glowing in Samto's pack…

"Um… Samto? How come your bag is glowing?" I asked as I pointed to it.

"Huh? Oh!" he exclaimed as he took out… well I'll be.

It was yet another constellation orb!

"That guy Lang gave this to me before he set up the defenses in this place. I don't really know what its worth is though, so here…" he said as he handed the orb to me.

That'd be the fourth one we've on this quest…

"Er… thanks." I replied as I pocketed it, "Now let's hurry up and get rid of Lang!"

As we hurried into the throne room, we beheld as Lang was screaming furiously for his knights to get at us. Our three axemen were hacking away at them as they stepped away from their lances and brought their axes down hard on their armor. Linde and Yubello both sent balls of fire at a couple of the knights, torching the armored opponents instantly. Sirius then stepped in and cut down the last knight after Barst left a huge opening in the enemy's metal hide.

If we weren't in the middle of a fierce battle, I would've been laughing hard at Lang's dumbfounded expression.

With all of his forces now gone, Marth, Sirius, Ogma, and I faced this evil man, with everyone else close behind us…

"Your number is up, Lang!" Ogma shouted at him, "General Lorenz will be avenged for what you've done to him!"

Although I couldn't see Sirius' expression due to his mask, he did sound pretty angry, "For too long, you've brought needless suffering upon the people of Grust. Now you're going to pay for your crimes."

Marth also added, "And you've threatened to kill Prince Yubello and Princess Yumina for no reason whatsoever! I ask you again… how can you be as cruel as you are?"

Finally, I finished, "Any last words before we cut you down like the rabid dog that you are?"

To our surprise though, he dropped to his knees and had a look of… remorse?

"W-Wait… please! I'm sorry…" he pleaded, "I was only following the emperor's commands!"

With some hesitation, we lowered our weapons, though we didn't sheathe them just yet…

"I too don't like what I had to do, but Emperor Hardin left me with no choice! So please… just let me explain…

Looking toward Marth, I whispered loud enough only for him to hear…

"Sire… do we believe him? He sounded genuine enough…"

Before Marth could reply though, Ogma and Sirius brought us both to the ground quickly as a huge blade sailed over us. All of us stood back up quickly as Lang gloated…

"Hah… so you worms aren't as stupid as you look! Well, no matter… I'll kill you all right here and now!"

We raised our swords quickly as I taunted back, "Come and try it, you cheap, bald bastard!"

Although it was many against one, Lang's armor was among the thickest around, even by a general's standard. To add to the pressure, Lang had a massive steel blade armed on him, so he could easily take us all out if he tried hard enough. We weren't going to give up though, because as long as this man lives, Grust will never survive.

Ogma and I started things off as his blade struck Lang's own weapon. I followed up with a strike to his side, but the sword did little more than scratch his armor. Marth had his rapier drawn and attempted to look for an opening, but it seemed that Lang thought ahead of that too and had those openings protected.

"Ha! Your weapons are useless against me! Now DIE!" Lang bellowed as Ogma was slammed against the east wall by the flat of his steel blade. It didn't kill him, thankfully, but he was going to be out of commission for a while.

Our three axe fighters quickly filled in for their captain as Cord flung a hand-axe at Lang's head, but Lang quickly raised his blade and knocked the axe aside. Fortunately, this served as a distraction for the real attack, which was a blast of Aura from Linde. The light blast was so strong that it blew a massive hole in his armor. He was quick to take notice of this as he stood back up.

"Argh! You wretched… you ruined my armor!" he shouted.

Now he was furious, as he lumbered toward the female mage, intending to cut her right down the middle. In his blind rage, he failed to notice that Marth, Sirius, and I stepping up to defend her. Before he could raise his weapon, all of us thrusted our sword right into the hole in Lang's armor (more specifically, through his chest). His face contorted to an expression of surprise and agony as he fell over, blood pooling from his injury and his mouth…

"Agh…" he rasped, "How… how could I lose… to you meddlesome… ugrh…"

Those were the last words that Lang, the corrupted general of Akaneia, spoke before the cold hands of reaper claimed him.

Letting out a breath, I went over to Linde, "Are you okay?"

She nodded, "Thank you, Chris."

"Not a problem." I replied, then I turned to Jeigan, "Commander, shall we begin searching for Bishop Wendell?"

"Yes." Jeigan nodded, "If what you said before is true, he should be in the dungeons of this keep."

"Right then…" I answered, then spread my platoon out to look for the bishop. We spent a couple of hours looking for the man, but eventually Cecil was successful in locating him.

"Captain! I found the bishop! He's over here!"

Heading down the hall of the dungeon, I stopped when I saw a familiar elderly man in bishop's robes. He looked a little worse for the wear, but at least he was still alive…

With Rody and Luke's help, I smashed open the cell door and brought Wendell out of his imprisonment.

"Ah… Christopher… it's you!" he sounded surprised.

"It's good to see you again, bishop." I replied, "Now let's move out of here and meet up with Prince Marth."

"The prince is here?"

I nodded and we made our way back to the throne room, where Lord Marth and Commander Jeigan was waiting for us.

"Ah, so were you successful?" asked the elderly paladin.

"Yes, Lord Jeigan." I replied, and brought Wendell out.

"M-Master Wendell!" Yubello cried out, and ran over to the man.

"Yubello? Is that you, lad?" he asked as he brought the young prince in a hug, with Yumina eventually joining in.

"Yes, it's me. Sister and I have been worried ever since we heard about your capture by the empire…" he told him.

"Good to see that you're safe, Bishop Wendell." Marth said, "Was there a reason that they took you here?"

As he let go of the two children, he answered, "It was General Lang's idea… he forced me to come here to suppress Grust's rebellion… but I wanted no part of that man's plan."

"In that case, why didn't you resist him? Surely a man of your peerage and magical talent could've stood up to him…" I pointed out.

At this, he shook his head and frowned.

"Christopher… you must understand, I took a personal oath to myself that I would never use magic in combat."

"Oh, er… sorry." I replied, embarrassed, "But… if you're here, then did something happen to Khadein?"

He shook his head again, "Not to worry. I'm confident that my trusted pupils, Merric and Ellerean, can keep things under control."

"That still doesn't explain what you're doing here though…"

"Oh, right… well, if you must know, I've been sent on a mission by Archsage Gotoh…"

Our eyes went wide at this…

"Lord Gotoh… then you must be travelling the continent, aren't you?" Marth surmised.

"Correct…" Wendell replied, "Listen, do you remember what you had to do to create the spell to cut through Gharnef's dark magic?"

"Of course…" Marth answered, "We had to take the Lightsphere and Starsphere and bring them to Lord Gotoh for him to create the Starlight magic…"

"Yes… well, there's something you must know about that. After the spell was created, the Starsphere's power waned to the point that it had shattered into 12 fragments, each with a specific constellation marking, and they were scattered throughout the entire continent…"

All of us were taking this in… and I soon came to an understanding about all of these strange little orbs we've been collecting…

"Archsage Gotoh… he says that the power of the five orbs is what is keeping this world from falling into destruction, and to lose even one of these orbs would be to plunge the entire world into darkness…"

"I see…" I replied, "And because the Star Orb is no longer whole, then does that mean…?"

"I'm afraid so, Christopher…" Wendell nodded gravely, "The world is decaying rapidly even as I speak. The only way the Star Orb can be restored to its former self is to reunite the 12 lost shards. But… the empire caught wind of my mission somehow and the shards I had collected were taken from me."

Wendell turned to Marth, "That is why… I must ask for your aid, Prince Marth. I cannot complete this mission alone."

Marth was absolutely dumbfounded at what he had heard…

"This is all so hard to swallow… I never would've suspected that these orbs were the only things keeping this continent safe…"

"Yeah…" I agreed, "But those shards he mentioned… you don't suppose that those little orbs we've been collecting would be those same shards, do you?"

"Eh? There's something glowing in Lang's pack!" Luke suddenly exclaimed. I immediately rushed over to the corpse and just as my charge said, Lang's pack was indeed lit up. Rody opened it up and…

Ah! Once again! It's… a little orb with a constellation inside! A Starsphere shard!

Wendell came over to see the shard we collected, "Ah… this is indeed a Starsphere shard. The Cancer fragment to be exact…"

Putting it into his satchel, Marth noted, "That makes 5 shards in our possession then. However, I still need to re-liberate Altea from the empire's hold before I can help you with your mission, bishop. Would you be able to wait until then?"

Wendell got a look of realization as he heard this…

"Oh… now I remember. I did hear the soldiers muttering that your kingdom came under attack by Akaneian forces. Forgive me for making such a selfish request. If you will permit it, I will lend you my aid to reclaim your homeland once again."

"Well… if you are serious about your offer, then we accept your aid." Marth nodded, "But… what about Gato's mission? If it is as important as you claim, shouldn't you concentrate your efforts on that?"

Wendell pensively replied, "Truth be told, I'm certain meeting up with you was also planned by the archsage… and if that is the case, then I've no complaints. As long as we're heading for Altea, we should stop at the Fane of Raman. We should be able to recover some of the lost orbs and shards there if we go there."

Marth agreed, "Right! We'll go there as soon as we can."

With our victory now completed, we set up headquarters here to prepare for another departure…

XXXXXXXXXX

It had been a few hours since we finally got rid of that corrupt snake, Lang. I was in one of the spare rooms of the keep inspecting my weapons when a few people stepped into the room also…

It was Frey and my charges… and they all had thoughtful looks about them.

Immediately, I came upon the eldest one in the group, "Frey… it's good to see you again, but…"

He waved off my question, "Likewise, lad… and you need not say anything further. I know what you're going to ask…"

"Alright then… how are you still alive?" I asked anyway, "You went out there into the fort where Gra's forces and the Sable Order would find you. All of us figured you were dead! So what happened?"

"Huh?" Luke suddenly asked, "Captain, how do you know this?"

Frey hushed us both as he explained, "It's an odd story really, but this was what happened…"

XXXXXXXXXX

***FLASHBACK STARTS NOW***

**(3rd Person POV)**

"_Ha! Found you, you little whelp! Now come here!"_

_That was the sound of a Gra soldier as he and his comrade pulled Frey from his hiding place. Since he had his helm on, they had yet to take notice that he was actually a decoy. It was only a few minutes before he was dragged (in both the literal and metaphorical sense) before the traitorous king of Gra, Jiol._

"_Well, so you thought you could get away from here, did you?" Jiol sneered, "Well, now it's time you paid for your mistake of defying Gra!"_

_Frey said nothing as the soldiers forcibly removed his helmet. The knight could at least take a little humor at the expression that the king had upon seeing that he had been fooled._

_Jiol's expression rapidly grew into a rage as he shouted, "You… you're not the prince! Where is Cornelius' whelp of a son!"_

_Frey edgily replied back, "Speak what you will of me, but I will brook no insult to my liege!"_

_He attempted to rise up, but an armored fist from Jiol impacting into the side of his jaw stopped any thought of resistance._

"_So… you're not going to tell me, are you?" the king sneered, "Fine then! Die like the worm you are!"_

_The last thing Frey would ever feel for a while was the sharp end of Jiol's lance piercing right through his chest. His vision faded to black as he hit the ground, the ground beneath him running red with his blood…_

_Jiol then called his troops, "Leave him. His corpse will better serve as food for the worms."_

"_At once, your majesty!"_

***FLASHBACK ENDS NOW***

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

"Yeah… but it still doesn't explain how you're still alive." I pressed further.

Frey shook his head, "That, even I don't know… my memory of what happened after that is still not very clear…"

"How do you mean?" Luke asked him.

"I mean that after I woke up, my memory had been all but lost. All I know is what others have told me." Frey clarified, "As I asked the citizenry what happened, all they told me was that a long-haired man in holy robes was responsible for my recovery. I wanted to thank him, but he had long since disappeared. With no memory of my service to the knights, I resorted to going into hiding until the day Altea was freed from Morzas' tyranny."

"During that time, the Doluna Empire was occupying Altea…" Rody noted, "Morzas ruled with brutality during those two years… until Prince Marth returned to the land and ultimately liberated the kingdom."

I then noticed Rody turn towards me, "Captain… Jeigan keeps speaking to you as though you had experience in warfare, but you only recently joined the Altean army…"

Ryan then added his input, "Yeah, and my brother also told me about your deeds in the war… but we want to hear it from you… is it really true?"

I sighed…

"Yes… it's true." I nodded, ignoring their stunned reactions, "On the day that Altea had fallen, I joined Prince Marth's company in their escape. Through several months of fighting, I honed my skills and when we finally returned home, I ultimately struck down Morzas… and avenged my mother and father."

Luke, astounded as he was, asked, "Wait… you mean YOU'RE the one who beat Morzas? But he was a mage dragon! He'd have to be extremely powerful!"

"Yeah, he was…" I nodded, "I was lucky to hold onto my life when it was all over…"

"Unbelievable…" Cecil muttered, "So that's why you were held in such praise during the training…"

I shrugged, "I suppose so… though I'm sure there's still some room for improvement…"

Turning to Frey, I asked him, "So is that all you wanted to see me for?"

At this, he shook his head…

"No… I have one other thing you might want to know." He replied, "On our way to Grust, Norne and I stumbled upon an old fortress just west of here. Some huge man wearing a demonic mask was working there meeting with some female bishop…"

That quickly got our attention when Frey finished.

"It's the assassins!" Luke exclaimed, "Now what are they planning?"

"Whatever it is, it can't be good…" I replied, "We've got to go after them!" With that, I made to get up…

Cecil was quick to interject, however, stopping me from going any further, "Captain! We can't leave now! Don't you remember what happened the last time we attempted to stop them on our own?"

Damn it… she was right. The commander (both of them) chewed us out when I took them with me… but we can't let these creeps get away!

"If I may, I'll speak to Lord Jeigan about this matter." Frey piped in, "I'll let you know his answer in the morning."

"Right then… thanks, Frey."

With that, I was left to my own business, so I did my usual habit of writing in my war journal of our accomplishments before turning in for the night.

As I laid down, I felt satisfied knowing that Grust may now have a brighter future now that Lang was taken care of. However, now our next problem was just over the horizon.

The empire… to attack Altea, their forces had to be abundant in both power and numbers. If we're to face them, we need to be at our best…

Those assassins too… we're learning more and more details about them, but what do they hope to accomplish by killing the prince and capturing Sister Lena and Princess Maria? I'm still in the dark on that matter…

Argh…

I had my palm over my eyes as frustration set in. I really hate not knowing what's really going on…

Shaking the thoughts aside, I closed my eyes and let sleep come over me.

All I can do is hope that the commander will give us leave to come after the assassins before we continue back home to challenge the empire…

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER**

_And that's a wrap for this chapter!_

_Forgive the long wait on this one. Writer's Block can be a real monster to overcome when it erodes one's writing skills._

_Hopefully, future chapters can help me restore my potential…_

_In any case, if you have any reviews or other commentary, I'll be listening._

_Until next time, farewell._


	21. Wrath of an Empire

_**DISCLAIMER: **You've all heard me say this plenty of times, but I shall say it once more… Fire Emblem is the property of Nintendo and Intelligent Systems. Therefore, I don't own squat aside from the OC in this fic._

_***REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_**ExposedWiresExposedVeins: **I'll keep working hard so delays like that don't happen as often as it has recently._

_**Mopman43: **Like I said in my first chapter, it's a real shame that there are so few stories under this setting._

_***END REVIEW FEEDBACK***_

_And now… another chapter for you all!_

* * *

**CHAPTER 19**

**Wrath of an Empire**

"Zz… zzz…"

"Captain? Hey! Wake up!"

"Agh! Oof!"

In case anyone was wondering, that was Luke jostling me awake and me subsequently falling out of my bed. I grumbled a few choice words as I stood back up, confirming to whomever else was in here that I was NOT much of a morning person.

"Nngh… what do you want …?" I mumbled out as I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.

"Sir Frey just told us that Lord Jeigan has given us leave to pursue the assassins!" Cecil spoke.

"Agh… alright." I replied, still not quite aware, "Form up at the gates of the keep. I'll meet you there in a few minutes…"

As they all left, I went through the usual procedure of dressing myself for battle. I was wide awake by the time I finished, so after one final self-inspection, I grabbed my sword and shield and hurried outside. As expected, my platoon was waiting for me.

"Good to see you're awake, captain." Rody told me, "Lord Jeigan should be arriving soon."

Turning around, I noticed… Prince Marth and a few others?

"Sire?" I asked confusedly, "You're here too?"

"I am," Marth answered, "If you're going to chase the assassins, then I'll be coming with you as well. I want some answers out of them as well."

"Sire, if I may…" Jeigan told the prince, "We cannot afford to leave Olbern Keep unguarded. If the assassins are aware of us, we should only send a few of our finest to handle them."

"Seven people should be enough to handle them." Arran piped in, then turned to me, "And since this group will include you and the prince, you should only need five more to bring with you."

"Hm…" I thought to myself as I thought of the potential people to add to our ranks…

I would need Norne and Frey to guide us to where the hideout was, since none of us knew where it would be. I think it'd also be wise to have a healer as well…

Yeah… that should be about right.

"Sire, we should take Norne and Frey with us on this mission." I told the prince, "I would also recommend taking Malliesia, Ogma, and Sirius as well."

Marth nodded, then called them forth, "Do any of you have any objections to this?"

The silence that followed meant they were ready.

"Very well! Let's move out now, then!" Marth signaled.

And with that, we marched on to the west, where the secret assassin hideout was supposedly hidden.

XXXXXXXXXX

_**DATE: April 11  
TIME: 10:49 AM  
LOCATION: Outside of a fortress 9 miles from Olbern Keep**_

_With Grust now free from Lang's tyranny, we've now decided to return home to try and take back Altea once again…_

_Well, at least that's what we'd be doing now, if Frey hadn't brought us new information on the assassins. It seems one of their bases was in a fort just west of the castle we were occupying. With this new information, Prince Marth and I set up a team of worthy fighters to beat these mad killers…_

_Let's hope this doesn't end badly…_

_-Chris_

XXXXXXXXXX

**(3rd Person POV)**

As Marth and his friends continued their march to where the assassin's hideout was, two of its leaders were conversing with one another. Outside the fort were several fighters, patrolling the surrounding areas for any intruders…

"Blast it!" Kuraine the sniper swore, "How did that knight and archer discover this place!"

"Seems our defenses were lacking while we were set up here." Roro the berserker replied, "But that doesn't matter. We'll crush those worms ourselves when they come this way."

But the sniper shook her head, "No. I've other business with Master Eremiya that I need to take care of. Those fighters should be enough to take out whatever dregs that prince decides to bring along."

"Is that so…" Roro noted, "Fine, go about your business. Leave these fools to me…"

With no other words left to say, Kuraine left the area. Roro then hefted his giant axe and patiently waited for the prince's team to arrive.

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Marth POV)**

After twenty minutes of marching onward, we could finally see the keep that Frey was speaking of. Chris had his spyglass out to look ahead…

"Huh… looks like they were expecting us." The swordsman noted, "Several axe men are waiting for our approach."

Chris handed the spyglass to Jeigan and questioned him, "What do you suppose we should do, commander?"

Jeigan was quick to answer as he surveyed the area up ahead, "We'll need to have our swords ready if we want to defeat them. Although… that large man with the demonic mask will probably be a dangerous foe."

"Roro…" Chris growled as he looked ahead.

"Is that the berserker's name?" I looked toward him as I asked, and he simply replied with a nod.

"Well, we know where they're situated." Sirius noted, "So let's hurry and defeat them!"

"No arguments there. Move out now!" I nodded as I drew my rapier. Everyone else also readied their weapons and followed my lead.

Within minutes, it was a direct collision between our forces as our swords clashed with their axes. As I deftly sidestepped a fighter's weapon and thrusted my rapier through his chest, Sirius reared his horse back, surprising another fighter as he came down with a heavy slash from his sword. Chris repelled a third fighter's axe with his shield before landing a powerful blow with his sword, cutting down his foe. An arrow from Norne went past my head and pierced yet another fighter's chest, stunning him long enough for Frey to thrust his sword through him. Lastly, Ogma matched a fighter's attacks move for move, until he finally caught an opening and skillfully cut down his opponent.

The little brigade of fighters proved to be quite ineffective.

Now we approached the gates of this fort, but as expected, Roro wouldn't let us go any further.

"Well, well… so the dog and his master finally decided to show up, have they?" the berserker taunted.

I narrowed my eyes at the masked giant, "What are you and your men coming after me for?"

Behind his mask, his eyes glared back at me, "You've no need to know that, prince. All you need to do is DIE!"

With that, he raised his arm and two pillars of black smoke erupted on either side of him. The smoke pillars then took the shape of Roro as well, until they looked like exact replicas of the masked berserker!

"What…?" I muttered in surprise. How did this berserker know magic?

Chris sneered at the berserker, "So you're not confident enough to take on all of us alone?"

Roro countered, "Just think of this as evening the odds, boy. Now then, it's time I finished what I started back in Altea… and kill you both!"

"Just try and stop us!" Chris shouted back as he put up his sword and shield. As Roro and the two clones raised their giant axes, our other forces raised their weapons as well.

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

As Norne and Frey worked on one clone and Ogma and Sirius battled the other, Prince Marth and I had our eyes on the real Roro.

"I'll start things off!"

With a shout, I charged at Roro and slashed my sword at his chest, hoping to cut through him, but he was quick to block my strike and he sent a strong kick to my mid-section, knocking me to the ground. As I struggled to stand back up, I looked to find Roro looking to bring his axe right down on me, so I rolled quickly to avoid the massive weapon. Back on my feet, I noticed Marth thrusting his weapon at the berserker, and while he was successful in piercing through some of the man's armor, it wasn't enough to slow down our opponent.

"Ha! It'll take more than your little foil to stop me!"

Marth was quick to duck under a heavy swing from Roro's axe, so I dashed forward and landed a slight cut on Roro's arm while he was busy trying to stop his momentum. With a painful roar, he swung in the opposite direction, bowling me over once again. It was very fortunate that I had my shield raised at that time, as that attack would've surely cleaved me in two if it landed. Still, my left arm was pretty sore from the impact…

"Fool! Why are you still fighting? You know you'll never win against me!"

"Nngh… shut up! You're going to be the one to lose here!" I shouted back.

Getting back up, I charged at Roro again, this time with an upward swing. At the same time, Marth also advanced upon Roro, and thrusted his weapon at the berserker. Unfortunately, the berserker was a bit smarter than we realized, as he quickly blocked my strike, then jumped away from Marth's thrust. After that, Roro charged at me and brought his axe up to strike…

"Now… DIE!"

There! An opening!

Before Roro could bring his axe down upon my head, I quickly swung my sword to the right… and I was rewarded with a cry of pain from the demonic berserker as my blade left a pretty good laceration in his mid-section, forcing him to stop his attack. However, this just seemed to infuriate the man further.

"Grr… that does it! I'm through playing around with you!"

Woah!

Despite the cut I gave him, he now started living up to his title as a berserker. In seconds, he went into a wild rage, swinging his axe at us as soon as we got in his range. Our opportunities to counter him were limited as he kept up the pressure.

"Sit still you cretins!" he roared, "I'll crush you all!"

As he swung at me again, I could finally see that his strength was finally beginning to wane, slowing his attacks considerably. Once he stuck his axe into the ground from missing us again, I leaped at the opportunity and thrusted my sword just below his chest. From behind his mask, I could hear him let out a gasp of pain as his eyes widened in surprise.

"Nngh… how?"

Wordlessly, I removed my weapon from the berserker and flicked away the blood before sheathing it.

"You've lost, Roro! Now talk!" Marth demanded as the clones sent out earlier faded away in a cloud of smoke.

"Nngh… heh…"

Wait, what's he doing?

"Fools… you don't… seem to know who… you're up against!" he coughed out.

"What are you talking about?" I shouted.

"Heh… soon… he… he will crush you all!"

Huh? Just who was he talking about?

Well… I would've questioned him further if he hadn't fallen unconscious…

"Roro… just what are he and his cohorts after?" Marth wondered aloud…

"Other than killing us both, I haven't a clue…" I shrugged. Just then, Commander Jeigan and Cecil both came over to us.

"Commander?" I questioned, "Was there anything of interest in their fort?"

He shook his head, "Aside from some extra gold, nothing to speak of… but what did that man have to say?"

Marth came in, "I think it'd be best if we discussed this back at Olbern Keep. We can't afford to waste any time here…"

"Ah, of course sire." Jeigan answered, and so we departed from this place.

However… I couldn't help but wonder if there was more to these assassins than any of us realize…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(3rd Person POV)**

As Chris and his friends finally went a fair distance away from the old fort, the sight was one not meant to be seen by those with a poor constitution…

Many corpses were strewn throughout the field, their bodies and weapons broken throughout the terrain. Roro in particular was struggling to get up off his back, but the wounds he was given were too much for him to pull through.

Just then however, a beam of light shone forth just a few feet from Roro. As the light dissipated, a purple haired woman in white robes now stood before the battered berserker. Her face was cold and impassive as she stared down at him.

"Roro… you disappoint me." She told the fallen man, "I entrusted you to take of that prince and his men, but you can't even handle such a simple task?"

"Agh… master… Eremiya." Roro rasped out weakly, "It was… that knight…"

Eremiya was quick to cut him off, "Silence, boy. I've no desire to hear your excuses. Have you forgotten who it was that saved you from your abandonment years ago?"

"It… was… you…"

"Correct…" she responded, "Now, be grateful I've decided to save you again. But this is your final chance, Roro. I will not spare you a third time if you fail me or HIM again."

Roro fell silent as the bishop raised a Recover staff over him. The magic from the staff rapidly mended the man's wounds, until he could get back up with little pain.

"Now, let us return to the base." She said impassively as she held out a different staff. One that looked almost like a Warp staff, yet worked differently somehow…

As another pillar of light began to surround the two, Roro trembled with anger as his thoughts turned particularly murderous…

'_Chris… Marth… you'll pay with your lives for defying us!'_

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Marth POV)**

It was an uneventful ride back to Olbern Keep as we kept our eyes open for any stragglers. Despite our victory, Jeigan seemed a little uneasy…

"Jeigan? What's ailing you?" I questioned the retired paladin.

He piped up as though his thoughts were jarred and turned to me, "I find it difficult to believe that those were all of the assassins…"

"What do you mean?"

"We already know that the enemy has a sniper, a mage, and a berserker in its group; and they also seem to be led by someone else named Eremiya, but…"

Chris then piped in, "… Roro mentioned yet another person… a man this time."

"Right…" I said, "But who could he be talking about…?"

"Marth! Chris!" another voice called out.

Huh? Oh, it's Sheeda! Guess we finally made it back to the keep…

"Ah, hello again, Sheeda…" Marth answered the princess.

"Did you learn anything new about those assassins?" she asked us as we stepped inside the keep.

We briefed her and others that had gathered here about what we've faced.

"So let me see if we understand you correctly…" Luke told us, "You're saying that there might be ANOTHER person working behind the scenes?"

I only nodded at this.

"For common assassins, they sure are well organized…" Rody noted.

"But that's the problem…" Jeigan replied, "They're TOO well organized… if they were sighted in Medon and Grust, then it's likely that their reach extends all throughout the continent…"

"You mean that we're bound to run into them again… is that correct, commander?" Chris questioned.

"I'm afraid so, lad…" he replied, "We'll need to keep our eyes open at all times if we're to survive another encounter with them…"

"Well, since we did defeat one of their sub leaders, then perhaps they won't bother us for a while…" I commented.

"Sure hope you're right, sire." Chris replied.

"In any case…" Arran noted, "We should depart for the Fane of Raman tomorrow. It's just on the way back to Altea and if what Bishop Wendell said was true, perhaps we'll chance upon more of those Starsphere shards…"

With that, all of us agreed to this and we went our separate ways in the keep.

We've got to find a way to rescue Altea from the Empire's grasp now… and see if we can recover more of these strange shards.

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

_**DATE: April 29  
TIME: 1:17 PM  
LOCATION: 3 miles south of the Fane of Raman**_

_After triumphing over the assassins stationed in Grust, we took leave of the newly liberated kingdom and set out for the Fane of Raman._

_Over the extensive reconstruction period, Lang's negligence over watching this holy temple had caused the place to be overtaken by thieves and brigands, until it was nothing more than a mere rogue's nest._

_If that is the case, we'll need to stay sharp if we want to recover whatever goods they've taken from there._

_Well, better wrap this entry up quickly. I think Commander Jeigan's about to brief us with some other news about this area…_

_-Chris_

XXXXXXXXXX

It was a long road from Olbern Keep as we continued our travels north to the Fane of Raman. I generally spent most of my time inspecting my platoon's equipment and sparring with Ogma and Samto. The Navarre look-alike might not have been quite as swift as the true swordmaster he imitated, but his swordplay was still nothing to yawn at…

Although, now that I think about it, every time I've tried to ask Ogma about where he came from or what he used to be, he always seemed to dance around that sort of issue, and I never get much of an answer out of him… so this time, I decided to talk to the only other person that seemed to know much about him.

"Lady Sheeda!" I beckoned from the fields below her and the Pegasus she rode on. Hearing my call, she dropped altitude until she could hear me.

"Yes, Chris?" she asked.

"Um… is it alright if I asked you something?"

She smiled, "Sure! What about?"

Overcoming the nervousness of speaking to my future queen, I voiced my question…

"All that stuff about what Samto said about Ogma… is it really true?"

A slightly somber look soon crossed over the former princess of Talys as my question finished.

"It is…" she began…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(FLASHBACK STARTS NOW, 8 YEARS AGO)**

**(3rd Person POV)**

_A thunderous applause could be heard from the local coliseum in Knorda as Ogma, a feared pit-fighter once again triumphed over another unfortunate opponent._

"_And once again, the winner is… Ogma!" an announcer from high above the battlefield sounded off._

_Wordlessly, Ogma sheathed his blade and returned to the inside of the coliseum. One of the grunts inside slapped him on the back as he passed by._

"_That was a wild fight there, Ogma! Now go back to the barracks until you get called again!"_

_Ogma said nothing as he continued to his quarters, where he and a few others rested. Before he could sit down on his poor excuse for a bed however, a long-haired myrmidon who bore more than an uncanny resemblance to the famed 'Scarlet Swordsman' came up to him._

"_Alright Ogma, everything's set up and ready to go. We're finally going to bust out of this place. Will you help us?"_

"_I will." He nodded, "I've wanted to leave here for some time myself. I've done enough fighting here."_

_The next couple of hours were spent with Ogma, Samto, and several others who wanted to escape from their captivity. From inside the barracks, Samto attached a rope with a heavy hook to the outside of the window and after testing the rope's sturdiness, beckoned his friends to follow him outside. Meanwhile, Ogma stood guard just in case anyone decided to come through the area, though he hoped that wouldn't be the case._

_Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened…_

"_Hey! You there!" One of the fight-mongers called out to the scarred man, "What do you think you're doing!"_

_Ogma, realizing what was going to happen, turned outside to the window and shouted, "They've spotted us! Hurry and get out of there now!"_

"_But Ogma!" Samto called back, "What about you?"_

"_Never mind me! Just go! Hurry!" he shouted in reply._

_Samto and the others heeded his call when Ogma disappeared from view, most likely due to getting apprehended by the fight-monger. Hoping that he'd be alright, Samto made it to the bottom and ran away, never to be seen again by those in Knorda._

_After getting detained and incapacitated by the keepers of the arena, Ogma woke up to a pounding headache. As his vision cleared, he could see that he was surrounded by several rough-necks ready to make him suffer…_

"_Well, it's about time you woke up!" the one who caught him sneered, "Care to start talking now?"_

"_I… I don't know what… you're talking about." Ogma weakly muttered._

_Immediately, Ogma felt a sharp, stinging pain across his back as one of the keepers lashed at him with a whip. _

"_You take us for fools?" another keeper snarled, "We saw you aiding in their escape! Now because of you, business here is going to suffer!"_

"_I'm… supposed to… care about that?"_

_Another whip-crack upon his skin proved that they were not amused at what they just heard him say._

"_So… that was your plan all along, was it? In that case, maybe this will change your mind about how we do things around here!"_

_In seconds, the defenseless gladiator felt one whiplash after another rain down upon his back, and it didn't take very long for his body to be covered in bloody welts. After the 10th lash upon him however, salvation came for the poor man in the form of a young girl and her father…_

"_No! Stop this now!"_

"_Eh? Who said that?"_

_Ogma, his vision slowly fading, briefly took notice of who had stopped his brutal torture. It was a blue-haired girl along with her father. They both had the look of royalty about them…_

"_What is the meaning of this?" the man asked the fight-mongers, "Why are you punishing this man?"_

"_He's responsible for allowing our fighters to escape! That's why he deserves what he's getting!" one of them answered._

"_Please… don't do this to him…" the girl pleaded with them, "He… he doesn't deserve to die."_

"_Now, now Sheeda…" the man calmed her down, then addressed the arena owner, "Sir, if it isn't too much trouble, we'll take this man in."_

"_Hmph…" the owner scoffed, "You can take that trash. He's no use to us now."_

**(FLASHBACK ENDS NOW)**

_XXXXXXXXXX_

**(Chris POV)**

"After he told me that he never had a purpose for fighting…" Sheeda explained, "I told him, 'If he had no purpose for his blade, then we would offer him one.'. Ever since then, he has been my father's most trusted soldier."

I listened intently, amazed at how much he had gone through.

"Wow…" I finally said, "That's quite a story. I'm surprised he had gone through that much in his life."

"True…" she said, "But he never really likes to talk about himself, as I'm sure you know by now."

Just then, however, another voice sounded off not too far from where I was… and it sounded like Commander Arran.

"Christopher! What are you doing! Stop lollygagging back there and report in now! Sir Jeigan is about to give his briefing!"

Oh… oops. Guess I got too distracted with that story.

"Er… sorry, Lady Sheeda." I scratched behind my head.

She shook her head amusedly, "Don't be, Chris. It happens to the best of us."

Hurrying back to the main forces, I paid close attention to what the commander was spouting off…

"Is everyone accounted for now?" Jeigan asked as he looked around a couple of times, then continued, "Good… now then, pay attention to what I'm about to tell you all!"

We all stayed silent as he started his briefing…

"It appears that our theories were correct. Now that the Fane had been ravaged by constant warring, the thieves basing themselves here most likely have some of the treasures. Julian and Rickard have also noticed that there's a young girl deep in the forest. She appears to be a dancer from the looks of things."

I then noticed Jeigan pointing to the northeastern area of the map, about one mile from our current position.

"Finally, we've also confirmed the sighting of a small squadron of Akaneia's elite forces. They're all being led by Sir Astram, and he's got the Mercurius blade with him as well."

Astram…

I'd be lying if I said that I had some fond memories of the man. My first impression of him was that he was a hard-headed individual, loyal to his nation and his liege above all else. And now that Altea and Akaneia were technically on opposing sides…

I shook my head. Reasoning with him was probably out of the question knowing him.

"Astram…" Marth began, "His forces are among the best Akaneia has to offer. We're no match for them as we are now."

Jeigan finished, "Precisely, sire. It'll be a slow process, but we should try to proceed through the forest to avoid alerting the enemy."

"You heard the commander, team." I addressed my own platoon, "And if you should run into any bandits, take them out and check if they have any useful treasure. Also, we must try and save that dancer from them if we can. "

"Let's move out!" Marth called us to action, and so we spread out through the woods.

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Unknown POV)**

Hah… huff…

I couldn't believe it had come to this…

I belonged to a traveling group of performers and we were on our way to Grust to start up a show for the poor people in that ravaged kingdom… but we had no idea that the Fane of Raman, which we had to pass through to get to Grust, was now a hideout for bandits. We were caught in an ambush and I was separated from them, and now I have found myself alone in these woods with these rogues…

I at least knew the basics on how to wield a sword, but there were too many of them for me to fight…

Wait… who is that man?

Exhausted, I approached him…

"Sir… please, you must help me…"

He turned around when he heard my voice, but he remained silent.

No… could it be?

"Why… why won't you say anything?" I panicked, "Are you… one of those men?"

When he didn't say anything else, I continued, "I see… in that case, do with me what you will…"

It was at this time that he finally said something…

"If you want to live, follow me. Altea's forces are coming south through this forest."

Now I was confused…

"Sir? Why are you helping me? Aren't you a thief as well?"

"I used to be… but not anymore. There's someone in Altea's army I think I should see…"

So he's really not a bad man!

"Oh, I'm sure you're only doing it because I'm cute, right?" I sweetly replied, "Well, in any case, my name is Feena and I'm a dancer from the port of Warren. If you ever saw me dance, it would truly uplift your spirits. See, I got separated from my troupe then was chased by thieves, but thanks to you, I think I'm safe now! You seem like a nice man, even if you're a bit on the icy side, although… you really could use a better appearance. You do have a handsome face, but those clothes and that hair… perhaps you could-"

The swordsman quickly interrupted me, "Stop talking! You'll draw their attention to us if you keep that up! Now listen, we'll unite with Altea's commander to the south, then make our escape together, alright? Now stay close and keep quiet if you value your life!"

"Oh… um, yes. I'm sorry, sir…?" I meekly answered back.

"Just call me Navarre. Now let's go, and quickly!"

Doing my best to stay quiet, I stuck close to the swordmaster and we made our way south. It took only a few minutes to unite with a man who seemed to have a noble appearance about him, along with a couple of other soldiers…

"Prince Marth…" Navarre began, "It is good to see you again."

"Navarre!" he replied, surprised as could be, "What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in a while!"

"I haven't been up to very much." He replied, "Only travelling the continent to train my skills."

One of the soldiers, another blue-haired man a bit younger than the prince, then noticed me…

"Sire," he said, "Could that girl be the dancer that commander Jeigan was talking about?"

"Yes I am!" I replied excitedly, "I'm Feena, a traveling dancer from Port Warren. This man Navarre told me you were all coming, right? So please take me with you!"

"Woah, slow down, alright?" the blue-haired swordsman replied nervously, "My liege will need to-"

"It's alright, Chris." The prince, Marth, replied, "She can come with us."

"Thank you!" I happily told him, "I promise you that you won't regret taking me along! My dancing will refresh your mind and body, and I can even defend myself, so you-"

"W-Well, yes… that's very good, Feena…" the prince's subject, I believe he was called Chris, cut me off, "But we should really be moving now. If we tarry here any longer, the thieves will get away and Akaneia's forces might catch us!"

"Oh… excuse me." I replied.

"Everyone, spread out!" Arran called us out, "Sheeda, Catria, Palla, take to the skies and strike down any straggling thieves!"

"Yes, commander!" everyone called out.

I decided it'd be best if I stayed by Navarre and followed his lead for a while. We, along with a green-haired cavalier in blue armor, a stout green-haired general in heavy armor, and a young mage and cleric duo (who looked to be related, but I couldn't be sure), traveled north doing battle with the thieves. One came up to me, ready to cut me down with his knife, but I was faster on the attack and thrusted my sword at him. I winced in disgust as the sword pierced right through his chest, felling him immediately.

Huh? What are these things he was holding?

Picking up the objects from the fallen thief, I noticed that one of them was a strange, glowing red stone, while the other was a small orb with some kind of markings in it…

Well, whatever their use was, I decided not to dwell on it for now, and so I pocketed the two objects and followed everyone north.

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

The battle against these thieves had been going pretty well. Several useful things were to be had from the slain corpses of these bandits, one of which was a special type of sword designed for a myrmidon or swordmaster… at least I thought it was, as I couldn't really grasp the idea of how to fight with that type of sword. Either way, we decided that Navarre was best suited for such a weapon.

It only took another 10 minutes until we got to the sacred temple that we noticed the apparent leader of these rogues. He looked quite hacked off at us for what we had to do to come here, and the fact that we had reclaimed the treasure.

He growled out at us, "You… you murderous bastards! I can't believe the nerve of you all, that you'd actually steal what rightfully belongs to us thieves!"

I shook my head in annoyance. This man has the nerve to talk down to us, after what he and his cronies had done to this place?

"You know something?" I sneered back at him, "It's people like you that really burn me up. Where do you get off claiming that these goods belong to you, when you've turned a holy sanctuary into a den of hoodlums? You and your friends are the real monsters here!"

"Shut up!" he shouted back as he took out… oh hell…

"I don't care what you murderers have to say! I'll take those treasures back, and kill you all for murdering my friends!"

The sword he held…

"Watch out! That's a Levin Sword he's got there!" I heard Lord Marth call out to all of us.

"All of you die NOW!" the thief thundered out as he pointed the blade at us, and sparks of electricity crackled as we scrambled to get out of the way of his lightning bolts. The bolts sent dirt flying everywhere as they crashed into the ground.

"Archers! Mages! Attack from afar!" Arran called out.

Gordin, Ryan, Warren, and Castor fired off several arrows, but the thief leader was too swift for most of the shots to connect. However, he was too distracted to notice the small blades of wind coming from Linde's Shaver magic. The spell struck the thief and he fell to the ground, shredded by the wind…

He was struggling to stand, but Marth stepped in and thrusted his rapier right through the thief's chest. He could only sputter one last slander against us…

"You… damned… murderers…"

"Speak for yourself." I simply replied, as I was certain he and his men had to have killed the temple's keepers when the Fane was at its worst condition. After he passed on, I relieved him of the Levin Sword he was using. He wasn't going to need it where he was going, after all.

"Well, that takes care of the thieves…" I muttered, "So should we go ahead and secure the temple, commander?"

"Yes, we'll do that at once." Jeigan nodded.

XXXXXXXXXX

It took another hour or two, but we eventually searched every chamber of the Fane of Raman. It was just as expected… those bandits really cleaned this place out…

"Unbelievable…" Marth muttered, "This holy temple has been completely emptied and desecrated. This really is a frightful age we're living in now…"

Jeigan then piped in, "True… I don't doubt that the Sacred Deity Narga is furious at this development. Maybe Wendell was correct when he said that this world would be at its end soon…"

"Say, commander…" I asked him, "Just exactly how much do you know about Narga? I seem to recall a little bit of what grandpa told me about him, but not enough to really understand…"

"Well, I do know some knowledge of him, but not much…"

Jeigan cleared his throat before explaining…

"One millennium ago, there were no records of any of the seven kingdoms that now occupy the continent. The people simply lived in small villages… and they were often beset by savage beasts."

Wow… it's a wonder they survived with that constant threat.

"At one point, mankind had reached the point of near-extinction, with only 10,000 humans remaining. These survivors prayed to the heavens for salvation, and it soon came in the form of a colossal warrior. In his right hand, he clutched a sacred blade of light… and in his left arm hung a shield, with five magnificent jewels encrusted into it."

A shield… why does this sound so familiar?

"After several violent battles, this fabled warrior triumphed over the monsters plaguing the continent, and so he returned to the heavens from whence he came."

"So… this warrior… he was Narga, the venerable Guardian God?" I questioned.

"That is correct, Christopher." Jeigan told me, "And this very temple was where he was worshipped."

"'He assumed the form of a god, and so he became our Guardian God…'" Marth quoted from somewhere, "That was a line from first chapter of the Raman Bible…"

Suddenly, we could hear marching orders being called out to the west…

"Uh oh…" I muttered, "I think Astram's forces know we're here…."

We hurried outside of the temple just in time to see Akaneian soldiers mobilizing to move out…

"Sire, it would be best not to tarry here longer than necessary. If the enemy takes control of the Chiasmir Bridge, our escape route will be cut off!" Jeigan told the prince.

"You're right…" Marth nodded, then called everyone to order, "Everyone! Let's head out for Chiasmir at once!"

No one wasted any time getting ready, so we raced onto the bridge. We were very fortunate that we were able to beat Astram's men to the middle area between Chiasmir's twin structures.

Unfortunately, it seemed our luck was dangerously close to running dry…

XXXXXXXXXX

_**DATE: May 1  
TIME: 3:29 PM  
LOCATION: Chiasmir Bridge, the central islet.**_

_Well, this is certainly a fine mess we're in…_

_Although it wasn't too hard to elude Astram's pursuit of our forces, he wasn't going to be fooled indefinitely. It was only two days after our arrival that he caught wind of our sneaking by his forces, so now he's begun to advance behind us._

_Oh, but it gets even better. Two more strike forces from the Akaneian Empire have now taken control of the area north of the bridge. What surprises me however was that Emperor Hardin himself decided to come for the ride as well. So, long story short, we're essentially sandwiched between some very lethal opposition._

_As much as I'd like to settle things with Hardin, this is REALLY not a good time to do that. It'll be a miracle if we can get away from them in the end…_

_Honestly, I'm pretty scared of the outcome… I wonder if should…_

_No… never mind… I'll worry about that if I live through this._

_-Chris_

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Astram POV)**

Somehow, I just knew he and his friends couldn't be trusted.

It's such a pity too, really. After the War of Shadows, I would've thought he'd make a worthy ally to Akaneia. But no… he had to turn his back on the empire. Why would he…

Hmph… never mind. His reasons for betrayal are irrelevant. The fact is he is a traitor now, and he must pay for his crimes.

"Commander Astram, our forces have mobilized."

I turned to my subordinate and replied, "Good. Wait for… Emperor Hardin to give further instructions."

Emperor Hardin… it still left a bitter taste in my mouth just saying those words.

Well… my thoughts on his rule don't matter right now. As a soldier, I must follow his command… for my kingdom and Princess Nyna's sake.

"As you command, sir." The soldier saluted and returned to his formation.

Looking back to where Altea's forces were situated, I reminded myself of what I needed to do.

Prince Marth… you and your friends will pay for your transgressions against my kingdom. Count on it!

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Marth POV, 20 minutes ago)**

After another day of preparations, we decided to take a brief reprieve from all of the fighting we had done just a couple of days ago. One of the villagers however surprised us while we were there…

"Prince Marth, Sir Christopher… it's been a long time, my friends."

As we turned around to see who it was…

"Bantu? Is that you?" Chris replied, "What are you doing out here?"

"I had retired to this small village just recently…" the elder manakete answered, "But that's not important now… is something happening outside? I can see soldiers forming up just north and south of here."

"Er… it's a long story." I told him, then I remembered something…

"Is Tiki okay? I don't see her with you…"

Bantu shook his head, "I'm afraid she's no longer with me. Lord Gotoh decided to take her to the Ice Dragon Temple."

"Um… where's that exactly?" I heard Chris ask.

"It is an ancient ruin well to the northern side of the continent. No normal person, aside from the legendary hero Anri, has ever made it there however."

Anri? Wow… he truly must've been as great as the legends fortold…

"That place… could it possibly be the 'Land of Gods' that the myths describe?" I pondered aloud.

The manakete only told us, "That is all I can tell you two. Only Lord Gotoh could tell you more about it…"

"I see…"

"Well, since you're here…" Chris began, "Would you like to travel with us again?"

"That would be fine… but unfortunately, some uncouth thief had made off with my dragonstone… I doubt I could help you without it." he told us.

"Actually, you don't need to worry." I responded, "One of our friends should have your dragonstone. We'll have it ready for you when we depart."

His eyes lit up at this…

"Really? Thank you so much, Prince Marth."

After returning the dragonstone to Bantu, we continued on through the islet, but suddenly we heard hoof beats coming in from the north side of the bridge. We were about to strike down the oncoming rider, but upon seeing the rider's face, I ordered everyone to lower their weapons…

"Sire! Are you alright?"

It was Cain! So he survived Altea's fall!

"I am, Cain…" I replied, "And yourself?"

"It wasn't easy getting through their defenses, especially now that they've captured the north end of Chiasmir now." Cain admitted.

"Well, I'm sure we could think of a way to bust down their forces, can't we?" Chris questioned, but the red-haired paladin shook his head.

"I'm not really sure we can, Chris. For some reason, none of our weapons had any effect on Hardin, so even if we could beat all of his men, Hardin himself would still do away with all of us…"

"Huh? But…"

Before Chris could protest the matter further, Jeigan stopped him, "Christopher, Cain is right. Our strength isn't enough to rout Akaneia's best right now. Our best option right now is to retake the northwestern fort and escape to Khadein by ship."

Chris sighed in defeat. He really didn't seem too pleased with having to go back to the desert again…

"It's alright, Chris." I told him, "We'll be back here again, and when we return… we'll rout them all."

"I understand, sire." He answered back.

"By the way, sire…" Cain spoke up again, "Some straggler from the Fane of Raman was attempting to get away from your forces, so I took care of him. I found this when I searched him for anything he might've taken from there."

Hey! That's… another Starsphere shard! This one looked like the Leo constellation…

"Thanks, Cain." I told him as I accepted the shard, "It's very fortunate that you found this."

At his confused look, I simply added, "I'll explain everything when we're out of trouble. Now, we move out immediately!"

Right after I said that, more hoof beats (unfriendly ones this time) came in from the north. Immediately, Draug, Sirius, and Arran went into formation to block their advance, while Bantu and Chris stood guard at the southern front to stop Astram's mercenaries from sneaking in from behind.

XXXXXXXXXX

**(3rd Person POV)**

Once again, Draug's armor was thick enough to block most of the enemy paladins' lance thrusts, so he fatally stabbed one rider, while using the blunt end of his lance to knock another rider from his mount. With a well-aimed javelin from Sirius, the defenseless foe was quickly felled. Two more riders were approaching behind the fallen soldiers, so Marth and a few others advanced forward to push the enemy back. Due to Draug's and Sirius' technique with the lance, neither rider stood a chance.

"That wasn't too hard." Draug noted.

"It's not over yet. Hardin still has a squad of generals on hand…" Sirius reminded those around him.

Meanwhile, Chris and his platoon, Bantu, and the other half of Altea's forces were deftly holding back Astram's forces. With the combination of Bantu's dragon flames, Chris' Levin Sword bolts, and Linde's Shaver blasts, very few soldiers were able to even come close to breaching the line that was being held without getting scorched, zapped, or shredded.

Unfortunately, Astram himself was no ordinary soldier. He was quick to dodge both the flames and the wind blades, and he forced Chris to raise his guard against the Mercurius blade he was wielding.

"You blasted turncoats! Is this how Alteans pay their debts to their superiors!" Astram sneered at the hero, struggling to break through Chris' shield, though Mercurius' edge was doing a pretty good job of cleaving into the thick guard.

The hero forced Astram back as he replied, "You're one to talk! It was YOUR emperor that caused our homeland to fall!"

"I'll not listen to the words of a traitor. You attacked one of my country's generals, so you and your homeland deserve to suffer!" He shot back as he thrusted at Chris, who barely sidestepped. Chris countered with a downward swing, only to once again be stopped by the Mercurius…

"Are you even listening to yourself? Lang was a corrupt piece of trash that got what was coming to him! Ally or not, your kingdom didn't need a worm like him around to cause trouble!"

"That doesn't matter." He replied, repelling Chris' weapon and advancing again, "Emperor Hardin has declared you all traitors, so now you all must die!"

"Ever the loyal pawn, aren't you?" Chris taunted, before stepping back and allowing Bantu's tail to slam against Astram, sending him sprawling a few feet away. Just before the Akaneian hero lost consciousness, Chris looked down at him and told him, "We'll finish this charade another day, Astram. Until then, stay alive… if you can."

"Damn… you… traitors…" he weakly sputtered out before everything went black.

It wasn't long after Astram was knocked out that Marth quickly called out to the southern front to merge with the northern front, so Chris heeded the prince's call and followed Marth north until they were completely across the bridge. Suddenly, a couple of arrows were shot from the west, and Luke and Cecil were both hit!

"Where'd those arrows come from?" Norne questioned.

With his spyglass out, Jeigan answered the question…

"It's Jeorge and a couple of snipers! They're guarding the fort!"

"What? Master Jeorge is here?" Gordin wondered aloud, and then he scurried off to his direction, his brother following behind him.

"Gordin! Where are you and Ryan going?" Marth called to the two archers.

"I have to speak with him! Maybe he'll join us again!" was his answer.

At the gates of the fort, Jeorge could see the two green-haired archers approaching. Ordering his men to stand down, he spoke up when they were close…

"Long time no see, Gordin." He told the archer, "You look like you've grown up since I first took you in."

Gordin, a bit shook up by the praise, nodded timidly, "Well, yes… now I'm known as Altea's greatest shooter… but it was only thanks to you that I could become this strong, Master Jeorge."

For a fleeting moment, Jeorge had a flicker of a smile on his face, but it was quick to pass as he replied, "Let's not waste our time catching up here. Are you and your brother here to duel me?"

"Wh-What? No, of course not!" Gordin exclaimed, "Please, I know this might sound foolish but… we want you to come with us!"

Jeorge remained silent at this thought as one of his soldiers replied…

"Sir, you're not seriously considering this, are you?"

"Please, Mister Jeorge!" Ryan called to him, "We need your help!"

The master sniper sighed in disappointment, "I know I have an oath to uphold with Empress Nyna, but… Hardin is no longer fit to sit on the throne."

"Captain! What are you saying?" The other soldier cried out, but Jeorge ignored him.

"His way of oppressing other nations and executing any dissenters is no way to rule a kingdom, much less an empire. And Akaneia's forces… all they have become now are a bunch of barbarians for hire, and they have no honor to speak of any longer."

He gripped his bow, and with a heavy heart, finished with, "Men… you're dismissed. Please don't hate me for turning my bow on my own countrymen. All I wish for now is to return Akaneia to the grand kingdom it used to be…"

After a brief silence, one of them replied…

"Our will is your will, Captain, but we want you to stay alive to see the change you and your new comrades bring about. Be careful!"

"Thank you, master!" Gordin told the sniper.

Soon, everyone had reached the fort, and Marth was surprised to find Jeorge waiting for him as well!

"Jeorge? You're here too?"

"I am, Lord Marth." He replied, "Let me fight for you from here on. I want to return Akaneia to what it once was, and joining you seems to be the only way…"

"You're more than welcome to join us then."

It would be another 10 minutes before the ships would arrive, but unfortunately that was just long enough for more trouble to arise. The clanking of heavy red armor and robes made everyone's blood run cold as they stared upon the massive imposing figure of Emperor Hardin…

He looked much different now… as his skin looked slightly paler now, and his eyes looked blood red, as though an evil intent stayed fixated upon them.

"Hmph…" his voice sounded out with a slight distortion, "It's been a long time, Prince Marth."

"Not long enough, it seems." Chris growled as he drew his weapon again.

"Hardin…" Marth started, "Why? Why have you attacked my country? I still can't believe you've done such a thing. Have you… have you truly changed?"

"I'll tell you, _your highness._" Hardin's voice dripped with contempt at the title, "As Emperor of Akaneia, I am the ruler of this world, and I will not stand for anyone who would dare oppose me. That includes you and your foolish friends as well, boy."

"You're the one who's causing problems, Hardin." Chris shot back, "Emperor or not, you've no business interfering with recovery efforts in war-torn nations like Grust or Medon, even if they were our enemies in the past!"

"Silence!" he shouted back angrily, "You don't understand a thing! This world, and all that it contains is a grave mistake. That's why it must be destroyed!"

"What the hell are you talking about? Is this really what Lady Nyna would want from you?"

From what it looked like, Hardin's reaction to Chris' outburst struck a nerve…

"Grr… do not dare speak to me about that woman! I'm ending this charade here and now!"

Hardin gave a loud tune from his war horn, then shouted out more orders as he readied the Gradivus, "All troops, charge now! Give these rebels no quarter!"

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

If things didn't look grim before, then they certainly do now…

From behind Hardin, I spied several armored generals approaching from behind him.

"Sire! The ship is pulling into the port!" Jeigan called to Marth.

Before we could get to the docks however, Hardin blocked our advance…

"I think not, fools. This place shall be your grave! I'll show you all to fear my Gradivus lance!"

Jeorge, my platoon, and the mages were busy decimating the generals that were swarming the area, so in the meantime, I had to try and hold off Hardin until everyone got onto the ship safely.

Lucky me…

"Hardin, you used to be a great friend to my liege in the past… but if you're so willing to throw away that friendship as though it meant nothing to you, then I'll fight you with everything I have. Prepare yourself!" I said as I pointed my blade at the mad emperor.

"Do your worst, child." He sneered at me, "You won't even be able to scratch my armor."

Wait… what's going on? He's… holding something in his hand… it's… a black orb?

What happened next nearly stopped my heart in fright. Seconds upon touching the orb, a malevolent dark energy surrounded the emperor, much like…

No… it can't be…

I quickly pointed the Levin Sword at the emperor and fired several bolts of lightning from the tip, but Hardin didn't even flinch as he calmly stepped closer and closer. Linde and Bantu also attempted to assist as the dragon blew a searing torrent of fire at Hardin and the mage sent a blast of light straight at the emperor, but his robes weren't even singed as he stepped even closer to us.

Running out of options, Jeorge, having used the Parthia to take down the generals, fired a couple of arrows at Hardin's head, while I threw a well-aimed hand axe at his neck, and Luke, Cecil, and Rody also hurled javelins at the emperor. Unfortunately, the aura around Hardin grew larger and scattered the weapons away from their targets.

Before I could take a swing at him, Hardin grabbed my neck and brought me up until my head was lined up with his own.

"Christopher!" Bantu called out.

"G-Go!" I choked out, "Get… on the ship! Hurry!"

"But you'll…" Linde started, but I weakly waved them off. Numbly, they nodded and hurried onto the ship.

"Bah… well, I suppose I'll settle for ending your miserable existence." I heard Hardin tell me, then he threw me a few feet away. Struggling to get some oxygen back in my system, I looked up just in time to see the sharp end of the Gradivus pointed directly at me.

I guess that lance is going to scar me once again, mortally this time…

"Now, it all ends here for you. DIE!"

Suddenly, as he reared back to run the lance through my chest, a pillar of light suddenly enveloped me! Everything quickly faded to white as I felt an odd pulling sensation come over me…

XXXXXXXXXX

Man, what a rush!

As my vision cleared, I noticed everyone was all on board the ship that Lord Marth was to take. Most of them were looking pretty worse for the wear, as those generals did a number on our ranks. Mallesia and Wrys had their hands full healing those injured…

I was quick to voice what was going through my head…

"What happened… where am I?"

As I stood back up, it was Commander Arran that spoke up, "You're on the ship, Christopher. Everyone made it on safely now."

"That's great… but how…"

"It was me…" Lady Yumina spoke up here, "I used this Rescue staff to warp you onto the ship with everyone else."

She scowled as I gave her a look of surprise, "Hey! Don't look at me like that! I may not have a high opinion of you and your liege, but even you didn't deserve to die at the hands of that madman."

"Well… thanks anyway." I told her. Guess I've still got some work to do with her or something…

"We should get some rest now… that last battle has taken a lot out of us." Jeigan told everyone.

No argument was given as we returned to our quarters below the deck of the massive vessel. All of us were exhausted from the fighting, and we needed to be in a good state of mind if we were to come up with another plan as to what we should do now…

XXXXXXXXXX

The sun was setting slowly as the vessel set sail for the voyage to Khadein.

With a Seraph Robe on to protect from the slight chill in the air (and to keep my vitality up), I was back on deck, having just finished writing down all that had happened in my journal. My mind was buzzing with several thoughts in my mind as I sat down at the edge of the ship, leaning against the wooden railing…

Hardin… he really has changed since we worked together. He's become such a hateful individual now… but why? What had we done to incur his wrath, other than kill a particular snake whose punishment was long overdue?

His forces nearly outmatched ours in the last encounter. It's a wonder we didn't lose anyone during our struggle, but if we end up facing them again… we may not be so lucky next time.

I was so distracted from my thoughts that I barely registered another voice calling me.

"Chris?"

It was Linde… but what was she doing here? I voiced my curiosity…

"I was just checking on you, that's all." She replied, "Sir Rody told me you looked lost in thought after Sir Jeigan's dismissal…"

"He did?"

"Yes… so, what's the matter?" she asked as she sat next to me.

"Oh, well… I've just been thinking about things." I told her, "Namely of what's going on with Hardin…"

"He's changed…" Linde told me, "When he first married Princess Nyna and ascended to the throne, he wanted to be a great ruler for his people… but now, what Jeorge said is true… he has become an absolute tyrant…"

I nodded, but then I remembered something…

"Linde… you were the last person to meet with Lady Nyna, right? Did she say anything about what happened to Hardin?"

She shook her head, "All she could tell me was that… it was all her fault. That's all I know…"

Huh? Why would she say that?

"But… she's got nothing to be sorry for!" I exclaimed, "She can't blame herself for what Hardin is doing…"

I shook my head…

"Well… regardless of the circumstances, Commander Jeigan is correct. Hardin is an enemy now, so we have to find some way to beat him… though, I'm not really looking forward to it. I know Lord Marth isn't either…"

"Oh… that's right." She replied, "Hardin used to be a great ally in the past. I thought for sure that their friendship would last a long time…"

"Yeah…"

She looked down sadly…

"Linde, what's the matter?"

"I just can't help but worry for Lady Nyna…" she replied, "She looked so hopeless when I last saw her… and with Hardin the way he is now…"

I only nodded in silence. Nothing good could come from this… but what Ogma told me was also true…

"Linde… your fear for Nyna's well-being is perfectly understandable. It's like with me and my grandfather… but, as much as it pains me to say this, we can't do anything for her yet… not until we know how to deal with Hardin."

"You… you're right." She told me, "Worrying about what could happen won't change anything. We have to focus on the current task at hand first and foremost…"

It was getting awfully late now. The sun was just barely over the horizon at this point, so we decided it'd be best to head back below deck. As we got up, I told her…

"Thanks for the talk, Linde. It felt good to finally get that off my chest."

She smiled, "Yeah… and thank you for the encouragement."

"Er… not a problem." I blushed as I replied, "Though, they aren't my words. Ogma was the one to tell me that stuff."

She simply replied, "That may be, but they're still wise words, so thank you. You're a great friend…"

Oh, come on now… I'm nothing special! I could feel my face heating up rapidly now…

"Uhm… thank you. You are as well…" I sputtered out a reply.

She softly giggled to herself, amused at my timid reaction, then she was the first to return below deck.

I sighed in discontent as the heat left my face. I've really got to learn how to hold together when talking to girls about anything not related to important business…

Shaking my head, I went below deck and returned to my cabin in the ship. Putting my weapons and armor at my side, I crawled into my bed; hoping sleep would come quickly…

Hardin… he's become a grave threat to everyone on this continent now. With this evil power at his disposal, we're no match for him…

Of course, that's not to say his forces are nothing to laugh at…

There's also the matter of Wendell's mission assigned by Lord Gotoh, the legendary White Sage. If it was any consolation throughout this perilous trek, we managed to obtain even more Starsphere shards. Perhaps we may get all of them yet…

Well, if we can't think of a way to take back our kingdom, then I guess our only choice is to see what we can do about assisting the head-sage of Khadein…

Here's hoping this mission won't take a very long time…

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER**

_Another chapter over and done with._

_Sorry for the long wait everyone, but I've been thinking long and hard how to proceed with this one. Here's hoping I did okay here…_

_If you have any reviews, commentary, or what have you, then I'll be listening._

_Until next time, farewell._


	22. Back to the Desert

_**DISCLAIMER: **Fire Emblem was created by Nintendo and Intelligent Systems. Therefore, I don't own squat! Only the OC is my own._

_Now what say we get another chapter off the ground?_

_Also, cheers to for giving Chris/MyUnit his/her own character slot!_

_And yes, I've changed the title of this story. I figured that this is more about how a tactician's legacy lives on through the many different worlds Fire Emblem has to offer._

* * *

**CHAPTER 20**

**Back to the Desert**

_**DATE: June 13  
**__**TIME: 5:39 PM  
**__**LOCATION: The edge of the Khadein Desert, 2 miles south of Khadein's school of wizardry.**_

_It was one heck of a conflict, but after that messy encounter with the emperor and his forces, we finally made it to the desert of Khadein. It's very fortunate that everyone was accounted for once we got on the ship…_

_As a sanctuary for aspiring mages, those that wish to harness the power of magic are expected to train here vigorously._

_Now, I'm not particularly familiar with the theory of how magic is supposed to work, but from what Merric told me years ago, it sounds something like this:_

_The secret to sorcery lies in the practice of sealing the hidden powers of nature into books and staves, and using particular words and incantations to harness this power from said books or staves._

_Evidently, it is extremely dangerous for the untrained to try that at home. I can attest to that…_

_Well, it'll be another half hour before we reach Khadein's academy, so I guess I'll write down another little history lesson here to pass the time…_

_Several centuries ago, a wise and powerful sage created this academy that we're going to. It was here that he sought to teach people what he knew and the ideals he believed in. _

_Unfortunately, though he might've meant well, the magic he taught to everyone was used not to better people's lives, but instead was used for combat and warfare. One could imagine the kind of destruction that it would bring about after these spells were mass produced in large quantities. Obviously, this greatly disappointed the sage, and so he was never heard from again…_

_Personally however, I really think he might not have thought that plan through when he spread his teachings. One thing that my father and grandfather told me often was that as long as there are people in this world, war will forever be a distinct possibility in the future. All this sage had done is hand them new weapons to wage war with…_

_Excuse me for sounding cynical._

_In any case, one interesting theory was that this sage who created this prestigious school was actually our old friend from the previous war… the legendary White Sage himself, Lord Gotoh. Of course, given his low opinion of mankind at the time, it's no surprise that anything that would lend any credence to this theory is essentially non-existant. I guess I'll have to ask him myself._

_In this day and age, the only ones left who wield the power of magic now are a few high ranking sages in this city, and even then they're more likely to only be using the basic Fire spell and Heal staff. Those who use higher-level magic don't seem to be very abundant._

_I guess that is simply the will of the creator of this city for it to be this way._

_Phew… my wrist kind of hurts now from all of this writing. Sure hope this doesn't affect my sword arm too much…_

_-Chris_

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Michalis POV)**

It was a very long flight to Khadein from Medon…

That boy, Marth… as much as I hate to admit, has humbled me with his prowess as a commander. I had been watching him and his friends combat Hardin's forces… maybe he might have what it takes.

Regardless of that though, I was eventually able to ride ahead of them before they could notice that I was tailing them. Spotting a village to the east of Khadein's academy, I descended from the sky and dropped my sister, Minerva, off here…

"Minerva…" I said to her, snapping her out of her lapse of attention, "Take refuge in this village until Marth gets here. I may not have a high opinion of him… but I will admit that he has proven to be a truly heroic individual. It'd be best for you to aid him."

"But… what will you do next, Michalis?" she asked me, "You should join us, if that's possible…"

I shook my head, "Sister, I've already told you before that our paths are our own now, and they will never cross again. I have no intention of joining in that prince's little squabble with Hardin. My only concern is Maria. I must find her and bring her back to Medon as soon as I can."

"You… you've really changed, brother…" Minerva replied, "No… now you're back to the man I looked up to and admired. Maybe… maybe you really were just under Gharnef's influence…"

Hmph… she still doesn't understand.

"It wasn't that at all, Minerva." I clarified, "Akaneia was getting too powerful in my eyes. It was my own idea to bring them down, and it its place, elevate Medon to be the greatest of this continent's kingdoms."

At her confused expression, I sighed and continued, "Don't you get it? That is why I initially allied with Doluna to destroy Akaneia… but I wasn't going to stay as their ally. I was then going to join forces with General Camus of Grust to bring down Doluna. But that whelp of a prince and his men… they completely ruined my plans when they defeated Camus…"

Minerva only frowned and narrowed her eyes in disbelief…

"Is that the real reason you killed our father?" she began, "You fool… how could you not see that it was a ploy by Gharnef to stir up distrust between you two? For all of father's strictness toward you, he still thought of you as his own son. It's still a pity that you couldn't understand…"

I simply put up my hand to silence her, "I'm not the fool you're making me out to be, sister, so spare me the lecture."

Heaving a sigh, I continued, "It was a wonder that I wasn't slain by your axe, but somehow I just knew you were holding back. Even after all I had done, you still didn't have the heart to kill your own brother…"

Minerva was silent this whole time…

"Despite this, I could feel the reaper coming to claim my soul… but then I awoke to see Maria in tears, praying to the gods above for me to recover. To see her do all of this for me, despite everything I had done to her and you, it… changed me. I'm usually not one to believe in higher entities, but… when I looked upon our youngest sister… I could've sworn I had seen an angel before me."

Suddenly, I could see several mages and other soldiers forming up outside the village. Another battle is about to begin, it looks like…

As I mounted my wyvern once again, I told her before leaving…

"I have to leave now, Minerva… and find a way to rescue Maria from that man. It's the only way I can ever hope to atone for my crimes."

And with that, I took off from the village, never looking back…

Minerva… I hope you understand.

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Marth POV, 14 minutes ago)**

The sun, though now in the process of setting, was still beating down on us heavily as we took a short break from marching in the sands…

"Hah…" I could hear Chris mutter as he finished another sip from his canteen, "I don't care what Merric says about the climate here… I'm never going to get used to this heat."

"I hear you, Chris…" Rickard nodded, "This desert sun's really something else."

"At least everyone is accounted for now." I told them, "Now the problem is what we should do now that we're here…"

"Sire…" Jeigan suggested, "There is still the matter of that mission that Wendell has told us about."

"The Starsphere shards…" I heard Chris mutter, "Do we know how many we have?"

"Hm…"

Looking inside my pack, I counted each one…

"We have 8 shards so far… but there's still 4 more out there."

"Well, at least we're making good progress on collecting them." Wendell noted.

"Yeah… but I still can't really see how this is going to help us take back Altea again." Chris piped in, as he looked through his spyglass to scout ahead with Jeigan. I tensed up when they both stopped scanning the area and focused on the academy's palace.

"Um… Sir Wendell?" I heard Chris nervously ask, "Why are there a bunch of people coming out of the citadel?"

"It could only mean one thing, Christopher." Jeigan answered for him, "Get the troops ready… it looks like Khadein has decided to side with Akaneia here!"

My eyes went up in surprise…

"What? I thought Khadein was neutral on this matter! What's going on?"

Wendell looked down disappointedly…

"You seem to know something, Lord Wendell." Chris noted, "Can you tell us what's happened?"

"I know Merric well… he'd never do such a thing." The sage replied, "But… oh, Ellerean… when will you ever learn?"

So… this Ellerean is the one responsible for launching this attack. If that's the case, then…

"I see…" I replied, then called everyone to arms, "Everyone! We make for the temple at once! Avoid needless battles if at all possible!"

And with that, we moved out to the academy, hoping to end this struggle quickly.

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

Wisely remembering that horsemen were not really recommended in a place like this, I decided to have Luke, Rody, and Cecil stay back and guard the convoy, while Gordin, Ryan, Julian, Feena, Palla, Malliesia, and Linde followed me to the east. If Lord Marth was going to get to Khadein's academy temple, then he'd need the bulk of our forces to stand up to whoever stood in their way.

"Uh… captain?" Ryan questioned me, "H-How come we're going this way again?"

"He seems intent on the shrine…" Julian noted, "Maybe we'll find something there again?"

"Well, you're half-right actually…" I told the former thief, "During my scouting, I could also see a village to the north and east of the shrine we're about to search. The citizens there need to be warned of what's happening."

But then, another voice began to sound off…

"Get away from that shrine, you defilers!"

Great… enemy mages approaching.

"Incoming!" Palla signaled.

A few mages, led by a seemingly reluctant red-haired sorcerer wearing a monocle… this shouldn't be too hard, I hope.

"Julian! Search the shrine quickly! We'll handle these guys!" I called to the thief.

"On it!"

With that, all of us charged forward, hoping to take down every foe. One mage, a Fire tome in hand, raised his hand to shoot a ball of flame at us, but Palla was quick to toss a javelin in his direction. The javelin pierced his chest and he fell over as his life ended instantly. Another mage was chanting a Thunder spell and was about to fire it, but Gordin and Ryan were faster on the draw as the brothers perforated the mage with several arrows. Linde was matching wits with yet another mage as she countered every bolt of Thunder magic with her own, with sparks flying everywhere as their bolts impacted. During that little light show, I managed to get behind the mage and run him through on my blade.

Now, all we had to do was defeat this sorcerer…

"It's over, sorcerer." I told him, "I'll only warn you once. Turn back now, lest we take you down along with these people."

He only shook his head, "I'm sorry… but I cannot. If I don't follow his orders, I'll lose all that I hold dear to me…"

Suddenly, he raised his hands, and muttered an incantation…

"Please don't hate me for this… _Ice of the coldest winters, rush forward! Blizzard!"_

As he finished the words, several jagged ice shards icicles raced forth, carried by a sub-zero wind originating from his hands! We quickly dove out of the way, though Ryan did take a couple of shards to his arm. Malliesia was quick to act on healing him fortunately…

"What are you saying?" I asked the sorcerer, "Who put you up to this?"

"What good would that knowledge do you?" he cynically replied, readying another page of his Blizzard tome.

"Look, maybe we can help you." I quickly told him. While I wasn't fond of being out in the desert, that Blizzard attack REALLY wasn't a good way to cool off.

The sorcerer looked at me in suspicion, before finally lowering his tome and answering my question…

"Well… if you must know, it was a man with a massive axe. He was probably in his late 20's if I had to take a guess, but he also had on a demonic looking mask of sorts. He had this strange power about him too…"

A knowing look crossed my face as he told this description. It was HIM again…

"Let me guess… his power involves creating replicas of himself?" I asked.

A surprised look crossed his face as he replied, "Yes! That's exactly what it was! How did you know?"

I looked away as a frown crossed my face. How many times must these assassins get in our way?

"Let's just say we've got a little score to settle and leave it at that." I flatly told him.

"Hm…" he thought aloud, "Well, if you seem to know that man, maybe you really can help me. Let me join you from here on."

Wow… didn't expect it to be that easy.

Well, never turn down help when it comes to you, I guess. I shook his hand and replied…

"Good to have you with us. I'll vouch for you when we meet up with Lord Marth again. By the way, my name's Chris. What's yours?"

"Oh, I'm sorry…" he apologized, "I never introduced myself… my name is Etzel. I'm merely a traveling sorcerer in pursuit of knowledge, but…"

Before he could speak further, I heard Julian come back.

"Hey, Chris!" he called, "I've got some things you could probably use!"

Hm… a new pair of boots. Those could be useful…

Hey! It's another Starsphere shard!

I grinned at this find and told the ex-thief, "Excellent! That's another shard in our possession! Keep up the good work, Julian."

"No problem." He grinned back.

We were fortunate that the immediate area was cleared away of any opposition, so my team (along with our new comrade Etzel) marched forward to the village. In the meantime, I continued speaking to the sorcerer…

"So what were you saying, Etzel?"

He replied, "Like I said before, I was just a sorcerer in pursuit of knowledge. I was once married and lived in Altea for a time… and at that time… I was happy."

Why is he looking down?

"But after Gra stormed Altea, my wife Ursula was slain during the fighting. Now all I have left to remember her by is the ring she was wearing…"

My heart sank as I heard this. So Lord Marth wasn't the only one to lose a loved one.

"I… I see." I hesitantly replied, "My late liege King Cornelius, that's Lord Marth's father, also lost his life after those traitors turned their blades on him."

"How do you know this?" he questioned, and I briefly told him that I had served under the prince's command during the War of Shadows.

"Hm… interesting."

As we continued onto the village, he continued his story…

"As far as how I came to be here, I fled to Khadein after recovering my wife Ursula's ring. During my time in this desert city, I decided to take up a teaching job here at the academy, just so my sorcery skills didn't get rusty."

He sighed heavily at this next detail…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(FLASHBACK STARTS NOW, 5 MONTHS AGO)**

**(Etzel POV)**

"_And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the theory for how the Glower spell can tear through even the most concentrated magic defenses. Any questions?"_

_The many students gathered before me were silent. It seems they understood the lesson…_

"_Very well, then. Continue your studies on your own time, but don't be afraid to ask any questions if you have any. You're all hereby dismissed for the day!"_

_As the student body left the classroom, I was the last one to follow them outside. That evening, I had my supplies gathered together and was ready to depart for the night, but a voice coming from behind another room caught my attention…_

_Peering through the key-hole of the door, I could faintly make out one of Lord Wendell's students. A blond red-cloaked mage was speaking to a female sniper and a tall man wearing a demonic mask…_

"_Okay… I've already finalized the alliance with the empire." The mage said, "What else do you want now?"_

_It was the masked man who spoke next, "I'd like to use this place as a base of operations. We need more than one place to operate from if we hope to achieve our main objective."_

"_You still haven't told me what that is…" the mage replied, but the sniper silenced him from speaking further._

"_You've no need to know that." she responded, "What we do is our own business. All we wish to do here is house this prisoner."_

_Huh? They're bringing in a battered man… a blue-haired general in white armor. He looks to be in his early 30's if I had to guess._

"_The emperor decided to leave this traitorous man in our custody." The masked man said._

"_Alright… do what you will. Use the basement in the back to hold him if you must."_

_I had heard enough by that point. I needed to see Lord Wendell… and quickly!_

_Sadly, I didn't get very far before I heard the door open, and a bowstring get pulled back…_

"_Don't move." The sniper warned as a black cloud erupted in front of me, taking the form of that masked man._

"_Uhm… ah…"_

"_Did you really think you could get away with learning our plans?" she mocked, "So foolish…"_

_Agh! What the-_

_I found myself grabbed from behind by the original masked man while his clone made for my bag! My eyes widened as he stole my late wife's ring!_

"_Hey! Give that back! You can't take it from me!"_

"_I'll take whatever I feel like taking!" the berserker's copy shouted back as his fist slammed into my stomach, knocking the air out of me…_

"_Now, why don't we come to an understanding?" the sniper spoke, "Now that you know what we plan to do here, YOU are going to help us now. If you do that, then maybe we'll give this ring back… maybe."_

"_And if… I refuse…?" I gasped out_

_The false berserker didn't reply. Instead, he set the ring onto the floor, and hefted his axe…_

_No! He wouldn't!_

_I struggled in futility as the clone brought his axe down, while the real berserker tightened his hold on me… then I stopped when his axe stopped just short over my wife's ring._

"_Do we have your attention now?" she mockingly asked._

**(FLASHBACK ENDS NOW)**

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

Huh… so that's why he had to fight us…

"I see… so that ring is truly precious to you, isn't it?"

"It is…" he told me, "That's why I have to get it back."

"Well, you can leave it to us. That masked man and sniper are actually assassins."

"Assassins?"

"Yes…" I responded, "They were planning on murdering Lord Marth before we set out for Grust. This was before Altea was branded a traitor by the empire, mind you."

"Huh… so you and the prince have been tracking them down on your travels, have you?"

I only nodded at this question.

It was only a couple of minutes later that we finally made it into the village. Judging from afar that the fighting was beginning to die down, I figured securing this place shouldn't be a problem.

"Okay… everyone, make sure the people are safe."

With that, we fanned off and told everyone to get to safety before any more fighting erupted here. There was still one other person who was outside, however…

Wait… that crimson hair and armor… that axe she's holding…

Apparently, I wasn't the only one surprised…

"Christopher? Is that you?" she asked, shocked to see me here.

"Yeah, it's me… but what are you doing here, Lady Minerva? We were worried that something bad had happened to you since we couldn't find you after beating Rucke back in Medon…"

"It was my brother… Michalis, who saved me." She explained.

My eyes widened at this…

Michalis was still alive? And he saved her when he could've just left her to rot?

I was utterly dumbfounded at this…

"Unbelievable… not only was he still alive, but he also saved you as well…"

"It's true…" she said, "It was our youngest sister, Maria, who helped him recover. He told me himself that her gentleness as a healer is what changed him…"

Another thought had occurred to me at this point…

Now that Lady Minerva had mentioned it, I was pretty sure I could see Michalis' chest rising and falling, though it wasn't that noticeable at the time…

"I remember now…" I suddenly said, "He was still breathing when he had his eyes shut… your last attack wasn't a fatal blow. I'm probably mistaken, but… deep down, you still wanted to believe he could change, didn't you?"

She never responded to the question, but she didn't need to. The look on her face and the fact that she looked down ruefully told me that I had hit a bull's-eye on that last statement.

"I get it now…" I noted, "In the end, he was still your brother through and through. I guess the bond between siblings can't be broken that easily."

"Yes…" she said, "But now… what will become of Medon? I've proven myself to my people that I am unfit to serve as queen… does that mean it'll fall into ruin like Grust now?"

I shook my head…

"You've no need to fret, Lady Minerva. Lord Marth already arranged for its reconstruction, so I think your kingdom is in good hands now…"

She seemed relieved to hear this, so I asked her, "So, um… would you care to join us again? Altea has been overtaken by the empire and we could really use more help in dealing with Hardin and his forces…"

She nodded, "Of course, Christopher. I'll offer my aid to you and your companions once again. It's… it's what Michalis would ask of me…"

"Great!" I grinned, "Palla and Catria will be pleased to hear this!"

For a moment, a fond smile came to her face at the mention of her former subordinates… but then, I noticed something glowing in her pack.

"Uhm… Lady Minerva? What's that in your bag?" I asked, pointing at it.

"Oh, this?" she asked as she pulled out…

Excellent! We're really collecting these Starsphere shards now!

"I cannot tell what this is supposed to be." Minerva admitted as she held out the shard, "During the trip to Khadein, Michalis gave it to me and told me to keep it safe…"

"Well, it's great that you've held onto this shard." I told her, and at her confused expression, I added, "We've been collecting similar pieces all around the continent. With this, we now have 10 out of 12 shards of the Starsphere."

"Starsphere? Is that true?" she sounded amazed.

Briefly, I explained how the sacred orb split apart after the Starlight magic was created…

"I see… then it's imperative that we find them all?"

I nodded, checking to the west to see that the fighting was coming to a close as Lord Marth's forces were now homing in on the academy temple.

"Looks like sire's almost there. We'd better hurry over there…"

"You're right…" Minerva said as she mounted her wyvern, "Let's move!"

With the village now secured and Palla and Catria now reunited under their former commander, we gathered outside and made to the west, where the temple was…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Marth POV)**

At last, we finally made it to the temple. It was tough making it here with all of the mages, thieves, and dracoknights… but we somehow pulled through in the end.

Now, one final obstacle stood in our way, and he wasn't too happy to see us.

"You… you rebel scum!" the sage leader shouted angrily, "Have you now come to trespass the temple!"

"Stand down, sir." I warned him as everyone drew their weapons, "I'll not warn you again."

"Never! I'll not let you fools pass!" he raged as he opened to a page on his Bolganone tome…

With a hand raised, he chanted the incantation, "_Jaws of the Earth, open wide and consume mine foes in a fiery eruption! Bolganone!_"

Immediately as the words finished, cracks began to form beneath us… and the air around us grew hot!

"Scatter, everyone!" I quickly shouted.

As soon as we moved out of the way, the cracks glowed red briefly, before a spiraling pillar of flames shot out of the crevasses. Fortunately, no one was hurt by this…

Bord, Cord, and Barst quickly responded with a few hand-axes, but the sage was quick enough to avoid two of them while the third one barely nicked his side. Warren, Castor, and Norne then fired several arrows, though only a few had made contact.

"Nngh… I'm not…"

Not wasting any time, I hurriedly rushed forward to stab him. My rapier fatally pierced through his robes and his chest. Before his life left him, his last words had me wondering…

"Ellerean… I… cannot agree to this… any longer…"

Flicking the blood from my blade, I then noticed Chris, his team, and…

Hey! That's Princess Minerva with him!

"I guess you didn't need our help, eh sire?" the hero chuckled.

"Chris, you made it!" I exclaimed, "And Princess Minerva's with you too?"

"Yes, Prince Marth." She nodded, "I'll be here to help you from now on."

I nodded gratefully. It was great to know we were getting more allies on our side…

Jeigan seemed pensive as Chris' forces and my own reunited back into one again.

"Hm…"

"Something wrong, commander?" Chris asked.

"Wendell did say that Merric wouldn't send Khadein's mage force after us. That could mean something bad might've happened to him…"

My eyes widened in terror at this thought.

Merric… he may be in trouble!

"I think you may be right, Jeigan!" I exclaimed, "We need to hurry and help him!"

"Well, no time like the present…" Chris muttered, "Come on, guys!"

Following his lead, we hurried into the temple…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

_**DATE: June 13  
**__**TIME: 7:02 PM  
**__**LOCATION: Inside Khadein's Academy Temple**_

_Well, it's currently quiet in this temple… might as well continue my last entry…_

_As I was saying before, Khadein is an independent nation, not beholden to any superior nation. In other words, it's a neutral party through and through. (Well, it WAS anyway…)_

_This desert nation's system of government is set up like so:_

_There is a master-sage who is in charge of high priests and wizards, and laws are passed through their cooperation._

_Unfortunately, Gharnef, who was the head-sage at the time of the War of Shadows, decided to ally with Doluna and brought conflict and devastation to this desert nation. The end result was the sands running red with the blood of said high priests._

_In order to get back on its feet, the city decided to elect Wendell to the position of master-sage. However, just shortly after reconstruction began under his leadership, Lord Gotoh gave him the mission we're currently helping him with._

_In his absence, two youths were left in charge to run things around here. One of whom was a dear friend to Lord Marth and me._

_Their names were Merric and Ellerean._

_Now though, it seems trouble stirred up here once again. We know Merric wouldn't be responsible for such a thing, so that only leaves one other person…_

_Geez… and Lord Wendell had such high hopes for him too…_

_-Chris_

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Merric POV)**

I couldn't believe he'd do this…

Why is he deciding to side with Akaneia after what they had done to my country? And as though that wasn't enough, he's now housing a prisoner for them too!

Sure we hadn't gotten along very much, and he did seem to take our little rivalry seriously, but I would've thought he'd get over it eventually…

Suddenly, the grand hall doors flew open, and a red-cloaked, long-haired mage stalked towards me.

It was Ellerean… and his eyes were narrowed dangerously as he came closer.

"Merric, it's time we settled things." He flatly told me, and he pulled out his Thoron tome.

No… he can't mean to…

"W-What are you talking about?" I nervously questioned.

"Don't play the fool with me." he sneered, "You know exactly why I'm here. It's time to see which one of us is stronger!"

"Come on, Ellerean…" I pleaded, "Do we really have to do this? We both studied under Master Wendell together… so why do you hate me so?"

"I'll tell you, Merric." He replied, the hate never leaving his voice, "I was Master Wendell's pupil long before you ever came along, not to mention more powerful than you were at the time… and yet despite all of this, it was you who ended up earning the Excalibur tome!"

The edge in his voice grew sharper as it continued, "You… you must have used your influence as an Altean noble to earn that magic and the successors' position! Those things should've been mine to begin with!"

I cannot believe this… he's had it in for me this whole time? And he really seemed desperate to earn the right to succeed Master Wendell too…

"I… I'm sorry, Ellerean…" I apologized, "I never thought it went this far…"

He didn't reply, instead opting to keep glaring…

"But…" I continued, "I wasn't interested in succeeding Master. I was planning from the beginning to return to Altea when my studies were complete; because there's someone there I promised to return to…"

I looked him in the eye…

"So please… don't do this! Call off Khadein's forces and help me restore Altea from the empire's hold!"

Sadly, this failed to move Ellerean at all…

"And why should I do that?" he snapped, "Altea got what was coming to them when they betrayed the Akaneian Empire! Why would you have me associate myself with those traitors unless…"

Oh no… does he think that…

"YOU! You brought Altea's forces here, didn't you!"

"W-What! No! I-"

"SHUT UP!" he raged, "I'm done listening to your lies, Merric! It'll be Thoron that will prevail over your Excalibur this time!"

With that, he opened his tome and began the chant!

"_Behold the unyielding rage of purest lightning, and fall before its might… THORON!_"

Suddenly, as the powerful sparks of electricity crackled from his hands, a bright light began to surround me. I felt myself get pulled somehow as the light became too bright to see what was happening…

XXXXXXXXXX

What a wild ride…

The light was quick to fade, and it took a few seconds to get back to my senses, but when I did…

Prince Marth is here? And he's brought company too!

"Nice job again with the Rescue staff, Lady Yumina." I noticed a familiar blue-haired swordsman, Chris, praise a young golden-haired cleric. Said girl just huffed indignantly and looked away, though I thought I could see a faint trace of red in her cheeks… heh.

"Merric!" the prince exclaimed in relief, "We got here as quick as we could. Are you alright?"

"I… I am, sire…" I replied, "But… what are you all doing here?"

Chris briefly explained the situation, "We came here to escape from the empire's forces. They chased us out of Chiasmere, so we hoped to seek refuge for the time being…"

Jeigan continued, "But since Khadein's forces decided to attack us, we assumed the worst had happened to you."

"Well, thank you for your help. I thought he had me for a second!" I nodded gratefully to them.

"Where is Ellerean now, Merric?" I heard Master Wendell call me.

"Uhm, he should be in the grand hall right now, master." I answered, "But I'm certain he might come our way soon."

"I see…" he replied, then turned to Marth, "Prince Marth, I'll speak with him myself. I'm still the master-sage of Khadein, so I shouldn't be in any trouble if his forces come by."

"Alright, but be careful."

Falling in with Prince Marth's ranks, we went down the west end of the temple, and several mages looked ready to strike at us… until they noticed Master Wendell among our forces.

"L-Lord Wendell? You've…"

"Stand down, everyone." He ordered, but they seemed to be reluctant to do so…

"But Lord Wendell! We're allied to the empire! If we go against our alliance, Khadein will suffer…" one of the soldiers exclaimed

"Did Ellerean tell you to do this? To side with Emperor Hardin?"

The soldier hesitantly replied, "…yes."

Master… his eyes…

I've never seen him look so angry…

"Bring him here at once. _Now._"

"A-At once, Lord Wendell…" he sputtered before moving in the direction of the grand hall.

It took a few minutes, but then I could hear more voices getting louder as their source got closer to us…

"Look, I'm not changing my mind unless he really is here! Now, this better not be a lie…"

Fear gripped me as I hear Ellerean step closer… but then, he gasped in surprise upon seeing Master Wendell.

"M-Master Wendell! You've… you returned?"

"Ellerean…" master began, "That's enough. Call off everyone right now!"

Without a second thought, he immediately dismissed all of Khadein's forces. Thank goodness…

Wendell once again addressed Ellerean, "Now… it's plain as day that you still don't understand why I passed down Excalibur to Merric rather than you. Do you know why?"

"Why, Master?" the mage asked, "Why wasn't I chosen?"

"It is simple…" our teacher answered, "Because while you are indeed a powerful magician with few peers to match your skills, you only cared about being the best out of everyone. In doing this, you've made no room for a caring heart in your own self."

Ellerean still didn't seem to understand, and so Master Wendell sighed as he continued explaining…

"Listen, my pupil… I had already known about Merric's plan to return to Altea, and so I decided when the time was right, you would be the one to succeed me… but do you not realize what you're doing? Your actions are no different than what Gharnef had done when he seized control of Khadein!"

At that last statement, I could clearly see Merric getting subdued at this analogy.

"M-Master? You… you're comparing me to the Dark Pontifex, Gharnef? I… that's…"

"Hush, Ellerean…" Master Wendell silenced him before continuing, "I'm not finished. When Lord Gotoh was still the ruler of Khadein, Gharnef and Miloah were his two most talented students. But Gharnef's heart was too weak to undertake the role of successor, so the Aura magic and the Khadein leadership was instead passed down to Miloah. When he heard this, Gharnef was driven into madness from his jealousy and so he stole the Darksphere from Lord Gotoh, and from its power crafted the dark magic, Imhullu."

Ellerean listened intently, but I could see the dread with where this conversation was going.

"Do you see now? Initially, Gharnef was a noble person with a strong sense of justice… but because he could never get over his jealousy, his heart was easily corrupted by the powers of the Darksphere. I've seen how you act, Ellerean… and it frightens me so, because I fear that you'll eventually tread down the same road that Gharnef himself traveled…"

"Master Wendell… I…" he couldn't believe what he was hearing. I figured that he must not have thought of his actions from that perspective…

"That is all I have to say, Ellerean." Master Wendell finished, "You are indeed a talented mage, but you've still got much to learn."

And with that, we brushed past the still shocked mage and made for the grand hall…

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

Man alive… Lord Wendell really gave Ellerean quite a lecture. I still wonder if it will sink in though…

As our forces rested in this massive hall, I turned to the prince…

"If only all our other scuffles ended this peacefully…"

"Indeed…" Marth replied, "All of this fighting has really worn us down…"

Suddenly, I could suddenly hear footsteps resounding from outside the room as a certain mage came into view again…

"Master Wendell! Please wait!"

Huh? What's Ellerean doing here again? I tensed slightly as my hand made for the hilt of my blade.

Fortunately, my fears went unfounded as Ellerean looked down shamefully in front of Wendell…

"Master… I thought about what you've said…" he began, "I… I'm so sorry. I realize now what I've done was wrong… but what can I do to atone for my mistakes?"

Wendell looked down in thought for a few seconds before answering, "You can begin by lending your strength to Prince Marth and his friends."

"I understand…" he nodded ruefully.

Merric and Etzel then approached the mage…

"Ellerean…" Etzel began, "Where is the masked berserker now? Is he still here?"

He nodded, "They're in the basement of the temple. The only way we can reach them is through the secret passage behind the throne."

"Ah, here it is…" Merric noted, then pulled down one of the torches…

Hey… so it's actually a lever? Part of the brick wall suddenly slid away as it revealed a stairway leading down…

"Are you going to confront that man?" Ellerean asked us.

"We are." Etzel answered, "He has my wife's ring, and I must get it back!"

"If what Etzel said is true, then that prisoner he has is in trouble. We have to help him!" Jeorge offered.

Finally, I added, "He's not getting away this time. I want him to pay for trying to kill Lord Marth and my friends…"

"Alright… well, allow me to go first." Ellerean said, "It's a bit of a maze down there…"

One by one, we followed behind the mage. He really must be serious about changing if he's leading us to this snake…

XXXXXXXXXX

_**DATE: June 13  
**__**TIME: 8:05 PM  
**__**LOCATION: Khadein's Temple Basement**_

_Ellerean, having been changed by what Wendell had told him, graciously offered his assistance. Ordinarily, I'd be a bit skeptical about him wanting to help us, but if he's really offering to take us to Roro…_

_Well, no use dwelling on it now. He's got a prisoner with him… supposedly a traitor to the empire. Perhaps he'd be willing to give us a hand…_

_Of course, we'd have to defeat Roro first if we're going to help him. Let's give it our all!_

_-Chris_

XXXXXXXXXX

It was a pretty long walk down the stairs as we followed Ellerean to the bottom. He wasn't kidding when he said it was maze-like down here…

We stopped when he looked up at some kind of diagram on the left wall of this corridor…

"Here it is… our only holding cell." He noted, pointing at the center of the picture…

So… the diagram's really a map!

Ellerean opened the doors, and walked in first, while I decided to peek behind the crack in the door to see what would happen…

A tall man with a demon's mask soon appeared from the right hallway. He was a perfect match for Etzel's description…

It was indeed Roro, though whether it the real man himself or only a copy remained a mystery to me.

"So you're showing your face down here again, are you?" he asked, "What do you want from me?"

"I… I wish to see the prisoner, Sir Roro." He calmly replied.

"Hmph." He grunted, then opened the cell, dragging a beaten white-armored man from inside.

"Ungh…" the man groaned, "What… happened…?"

"Sir Horace?" Ellerean asked him, "Are you feeling alright?"

"What's this?" Roro questioned, "I would've thought you didn't care about this prisoner!"

Ellerean remained silent…

Wait, why is he looking… YOW!

I quickly backed away from the door as a hand-axe quickly slammed into its wooden surface, sending splinters flying…

"Damn! He knows we're here!" I shouted, "Everyone, get ready to attack!"

Kicking open the door, I drew my sword as Bord and Cord got the man named Horace to safety…

"So, you're turning your back on us, mage?" he thundered.

"I am…" Ellerean stated, "I'm done associating with you and the empire!"

"So… that's how it is…" he said, "Then in that case…"

He raised his axe, ready to lop the mage's head off! There was no way that he could cast a spell in time…

Reacting quickly, Barst and I threw a hand-axe in his direction. He had to stop his swing to get out of the way…

"Your fight's with us, Roro." I growled, "You're not getting away again!"

"Well well…" he mocked, "You want to finish this here and now, don't you?"

I said nothing to this remark…

"Today will be your last day on this world, boy! I'm finishing what I should've done a long time ago! But first…"

As expected, several replicas of the berserker emerged from pillars of black smoke. Everyone readied their weapons…

"Let's see you face my brothers! We'll crush you all!"

I had my eyes on the true Roro as I sneered, "You can try!"

XXXXXXXXXX

**(3rd Person POV)**

A chaotic struggle was quick to erupt between Marth's companions and Roro and his clones.

Ellerean unleashed a mighty blast of Thoron at one of the clones, fatally shocking him into oblivion, while Yubello worked up the courage to work up a chant for his attack…

"_Scorching flames, seek out mine foe and incinerate! Fire!_"

Several balls of flame spread out from his hand as they slammed into three more of Roro's copies, badly burning them enough to stun them. Merric finished the job on two of those three clones…

"_Winds of the strongest hurricane, race forward and shred all in thine path! Excalibur!_" he cried out. In seconds, several large wind blades conjured from his hand and shot towards the two clones, shredding them into an unrecognizable mess…

Surprisingly, even Feena was holding her own against the third clone. The dancer moved with such grace as she stepped aside from Roro's slow swings. Upon seeing an opening, she landed several cuts on the clone, felling him with a final thrust to his neck.

Roro sneered from behind his mask…

"Ha! Do you truly think you can triumph against me? My brothers are limitless!"

Immediately, several more copies emerged from the black smoke, and the fighting continued once more. Luke and Rody were struggling as one of the clones was wildly swinging his axe in an attempt to hack away at the two cavaliers. Arran, though fighting valiantly, could feel the weakness from his illness setting in and so was forced back by another copy of the berserker.

Marth, through all the fighting, could see that the clones were drawing the fight to a stand-still. If it kept up, they'd all be driven to exhaustion and would eventually get overwhelmed…

'_He's trying to drag the fight on…' _he realized.

The original Roro, who was currently locking his axe with Chris' sword, quickly found another blade thrusting at him…

"Chris! Everyone!" Marth called, "Attack the original one! The clones will stop coming if we defeat him!"

The berserker let out an amused laugh, "Do you really believe it will be that easy? Die!"

The real Roro gave a hard swing with his axe, and Chris and Marth were forced to duck to avoid getting their heads separated from their bodies. Chris responded with an upward swing of his blade, but the berserker backed off at the last second, leaving only a glancing cut on his chest-plate.

Elsewhere, the archers (led by Jeorge) fired several arrows into the fray to hamper Roro's and his replicas' movements. This made things a little easier for everyone, as Navarre finished off one clone, Sirius ran another down on his sword, and Bord and Cord double-teamed yet another… but even so, more clones were still getting conjured by the berserker's arcane power…

"Ungh! There's just no end to them!" Kain grunted as he fought off the clone.

"Well, we can't quit now! We need to keep buying time for Lord Marth and Chris!" Catria shouted back as she sidestepped another clone's axe. Neither she nor her sisters were particularly skilled with swords, but at least they had learned from Caesar and Radd back in the previous war…

Marth and Chris continued to try and double-team Roro, but the berserker continued to elude their attacks.

"Ha! Is that all you've got, you meddlesome pests?" he taunted.

Suddenly, another voice sounded off once again…

"…_of purest lightning…"_

The true berserker turned to the source of the voice, and his eyes widened in horror as to what was coming next…

"…_fall before its might! Thoron!"_

In seconds, Ellerean (who had now finally found an opening from all the clones he and the rest of the mages had to contend with) charged his Thoron spell in his hand, until the electricity reached its limit. With one final push, an extremely powerful bolt of lightning struck Roro directly in his face! The berserker let out a blood-curdling scream of pain as the electricity crackled through him. Chris quickly wasted no time in taking this opportunity and gave a good hard swing at the berserker's neck. The end result was his head rolling onto the floor as the rest of his body fell lifelessly to the floor, blood pooling around his corpse…

The remaining clones suddenly stopped fighting and fell unconscious as they looked upon their original's fallen body.

XXXXXXXXXX

**(Chris POV)**

Whew… that was rough…

Wiping the sweat from my brow, I sheathed my blade as I stared upon the berserker's headless corpse. It was a long, trying battle, but at last we had done away with one of those assassins.

"That settles that…" I muttered, "Now they're down one leader."

Bending down to see if he had what I thought he did, I searched his pack and pulled out a small ring…

This must belong to Etzel, who was coming in from behind.

"Did he have the ring?" he asked me. I simply nodded and handed it over…

"Ah… thank you, Chris. I don't know what I would've done if it were lost…"

Then Jeigan also approached, "Well, we've defeated one of the assassins, but I'm certain they will notice this soon. We should head back upstairs now, but first…"

We approached the man, Horace, that the berserker was holding prisoner.

"Sir Knight… are you the one they call Horace?" Marth asked him.

"I am, sire…" he replied.

"I see…" the prince continued, "…but what are you doing here in Khadein?"

He looked down, "It was… the emperor's doing. I was one of the few officials to object to the attack on Altea, but… Lang was higher on the chain of command than I was, so my pleas fell on deaf ears."

Horace, seeing that we were still listening, continued, "My objections seemed to ire the emperor, so he had me sent to Khadein to have me executed…"

"Wait a second…" I stopped him, "You mean to tell us that this assassin we've slain was really going to be your executioner?"

The general raised an eyebrow, "He was an assassin? Then… oh, how could he do this?"

Marth sighed, "Hardin… have you really aligned yourself with these cutthroats? Do you really want us dead that badly?"

None of us could think of an answer as we trudged back upstairs…

XXXXXXXXXX

Night had fallen by the time we got back upstairs.

We were feeling weary from all of the battles we had faced up to this point. Now that Khadein was once again neutral on the matter, we were free to stay in this area for the time being before setting off once again.

Of course, the problem was that we had no idea what to do or where to go now…

"Well, we're here now… but what are we to do?" I questioned the prince, "We can't return to Altea as we are now… and challenging Hardin would be equally foolish…"

"…_**arth… Prin… th"**_

Hey… I know that voice!

"Lord Gotoh?" Marth called out, "Where are you?"

Suddenly, a familiar apparition appeared on the throne. Sure enough, it was Lord Gotoh, the legendary White Sage himself…

"_**Ah… can you hear me?" **_

"We can, Lord Gotoh." I told him, "It's… good to see you again, even if it's through an illusion."

A small smile graced his aged face, _**"And you as well, lad… but if you are here, then it must mean that you require my assistance once again."**_

I scratched my head, "Er… yeah, something like that."

Marth then asked the sage, "Lord Gotoh… there are some things we need to ask of you. Do you know the reason why Hardin has changed so suddenly, and how he has obtained these powers of invincibility?"

The sage looked down gravely, _**"It is an arcane power, Prince Marth… and the source of that power is coming from the Darksphere. That is what is giving him protection…"**_

"Huh… he WAS holding a black orb of sorts when I last saw him." I noted, "But where did it come from exactly?"

Gotoh's image pondered for a few seconds before finally responding, _**"It seems this information will have to be revealed to you now, though I was hoping it wouldn't come to this point…"**_

We all stayed silent as he began to explain…

"_**This world has 5 sacred orbs in existence, and all of them contain a mysterious power. You have already seen the orbs known as Lightsphere, Starsphere, and Geosphere… however; there are two more that you have yet to see: the Lifesphere and the Darksphere."**_

At the mention of the last orb, his expression turned even more serious…

"_**The Darksphere… it contains powerful abilities for its opposition to the Lightsphere. It significantly raises one's courage and mind, while also relieving them of suffering. In battle, it can either invade a single foe's mind to stop them from attacking or it can conjure a black energy to defend against multiple foes…"**_

"Er… wow." I replied, "That's pretty powerful…"

"_**Indeed it is…"**_ the sage agreed, _**"But with that power comes a major price. The Darksphere is said to react whenever the one who possesses it is overcome with anger, jealousy, or other negative emotions, and over time… their very soul will be consumed by the orb."**_

By the gods… this is intense!

To think something like that would be capable of warping even one's very soul. No wonder Hardin spouted off that nonsense about destroying this world!

"But that still doesn't explain how he got this orb…" I pointed out.

Gotoh only shook his head, _**"I'm sorry, but even I do not know how he obtained the Darksphere. However, the fact remains that his heart has… become consumed by its power."**_

Marth, though he was acknowledging what was being told, was still in disbelief over what had happened…

"But how can that be?" he questioned, "I know Hardin… he's not such a weak willed man. I would think he would be happy to be wed with Nyna, so why would he be jealous?"

I looked down at that question, for I had a sinking feeling inside me. There was only one reason I could probably think of, but I hoped to high heaven that I was wrong about it…

As for Gotoh, he merely replied, _**"Marth, you must understand something. Mankind's emotions are not as simple to comprehend as you might believe. There is likely more to his ascension to the throne than what you know now…"**_

Marth couldn't formulate a reply as he heard this.

"_**In any case, you and your friends have no hope of triumph as long as Hardin possesses the Darksphere. There is but one way to combat his power, and it lies in the power of the Lightsphere. I am in possession of the orb, so if you want to defeat the emperor, seek me out."**_

Upon hearing about the Lightsphere, I could see a flicker of hope light up in the prince's eyes once again…

"Is that true? Is it possible to save Hardin with the Lightsphere?"

The White Sage pondered briefly before replying with, _**"It will all depend on if Hardin's soul has not been consumed entirely. If he is truly as iron-willed as you claim him to be, then perhaps there may be a chance."**_

"That's great!" Marth exclaimed, "We'll be coming for the Lightsphere, but… where are you exactly?"

"_**You will find me at the Temple of Ice Dragons, far to the north and east on this continent. However, you and your companions must listen carefully, Marth," **_Gotoh told us, _**"The road to reach me will be fraught with peril, and you and your friends may not survive the journey. Are you sure you want to find me?"**_

"Um, how is this any more dangerous than what we're dealing with now?" I questioned.

"_**I'll tell you, Christopher…" **_he replied, _**"Legends say that only one man has ever survived the journey to this place. Do you know who that is?"**_

I thought about the answer to that question…

It's been a long time ago, but grandpa and mom once told me about how there was a frozen sanctuary far to the north and east, just like Gotoh described… but they also mentioned…

No way…!

"You mean it's true? That _he_ was the only one to make it there?" I exclaimed.

As though he knew exactly whom I was speaking of, Gotoh replied, _**"That is correct… the only one to ever make it to the Temple of Ice Dragons… was the great hero of Altea himself, Anri. That is why your liege must prove himself of equal caliber to him. If he and his companions can make it there safely, then I will allow you all to borrow this Lightsphere."**_

We all stayed silent as we pondered this offer…

If what Gotoh says is true, then we could be in for one hell of a journey. It'd probably be much harder than the travels we faced in the War of Shadows…

Still, we can't just sit back and do nothing. This continent will fall to darkness, and the world would soon follow if we don't defeat Hardin…

Gotoh's voice silenced my thoughts, _**"So I ask you again, prince Marth. Are you and your forces absolutely certain that you wish to undertake this journey?"**_

"We have to, Lord Gotoh!" Marth told him, "If there's no other way, then we must do this! We'll do whatever it takes to obtain the Lightsphere."

I added, "You said it yourself, White Sage. As long as Hardin has the Darksphere, we're stuck. So how are we to reach you?"

"_**Very well…" **_he nodded, _**"I can see you are all serious about this task, so I'll tell you at once. You must first head north, into the Marmotord Desert, then meet with my contact in the city of Thabes. He will guide you the rest of the way…"**_

"We'll head out as soon as we can, Lord Gotoh." Marth responded, "In the meantime, please wait for us!"

"_**So be it… and may fortune smile upon you all during your travels."**_

And with that, Gotoh's image quickly flickered out of existence.

I sighed, "Man alive… this is much bigger than we realize."

Jeigan nodded, "So it seems, but what Lord Gotoh said was correct. We should try to obtain some supplies here in Khadein before we head out on this journey."

As we looked around, I suddenly noticed one of our compatriots was missing.

"Er… Julian?" I asked the thief, "Where's Rickard? Wasn't he with you?"

"All he told me was that he had some business to take care of…"

Suddenly, the doors to the throne room opened again, and Rickard himself was coming through them. Flanking him were two unfamiliar faces: a bearded man looking somewhere in his early to mid 40's and a young woman just a few years older than me.

"Rickard? Where have you been?" Julian asked him.

"That's easy, chief!" he grinned, "Since I figured we were gonna be on another big adventure, I decided to enlist some help from some old friends of mine!"

The bearded man then spoke up, "So which one of you guys is prince Marth?"

The prince stepped forward, "That would be me. Can I help you two with something?"

The woman answered, "The names Malice, and this big guy here is my old man Dice. Do you want us to lend a hand?"

"We could use all the help we could get in this mission," Marth replied, "You're welcome to join us!"

"Now hold on there, prince…" the woman, Malice, cut him off, "You want our help, you pay our fee first! 10,000 gold up front."

"What?" I exclaimed, "You're insane!"

"Hey, you want our help, you pay up." The man, Dice, bluntly retorted, "So what'll it be?"

Marth sighed as he told me, "Chris, it ought to be best if we hire them. We need more people in our ranks if we ever hope to be victorious here."

I conceded, though I still wasn't too fond with the idea of paying such an insane fee. That money could be better spent getting supplies…

"Alright, fine…" I said, "But you two better be able to pull your own weight around here."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that." Dice grinned, "We're plenty tough ourselves."

"Well…" Jeigan noted, "If we're really going to go on this journey, we need to get more supplies. We'll spend tomorrow mapping out a course and purchasing equipment, so we should take a rest here in the temple."

With no further discussion, we parted ways in the temple to look for rooms to stay in.

XXXXXXXXXX

Given that it was getting pretty late, I didn't feel like lounging around the temple, so I decided to just stay inside my room. With nothing left to do for the day, I simply wrote down all that had happened and blew out the candle, intending to sleep for the night.

We had learned a lot about what our current circumstances are and what we needed to do in order to defeat the empire.

To think… in order to be victorious, we need to re-enact Anri's legend! This was going to be quite the mission…

Well, there's no other option before us. If we're to reclaim Altea again and defeat Hardin once and for all, we've got to do this…

On the bright side, the regions we're traveling through are said to be inhospitable, so maybe those assassins will stop trailing us…

XXXXXXXXXX

_Chris' Personnel Observations_

_**NAME: **Etzel_

_**OCCUPATION: **Sorcerer from Altea, now a Khadein resident._

_**NOTES: **Seems to really revere his late wife, which is why he always has her ring in his possession. Battle-wise, he's pretty talented in the arts of sorcery._

_-XXX-_

_**NAME: **Minerva_

_**OCCUPATION: **Dethroned Queen of Medon._

_**NOTES: **Still a bit on the intimidating side, but she seemed to have mellowed out after the last war. She's still pretty good on her wyvern…_

_-XXX-_

_**NAME: **Merric_

_**OCCUPATION:** Mage of Khadein and one of Wendell's pupils._

_**NOTES: **A good friend to Marth and me, he's a specialist in wind magic. Although he was initially slated to be Wendell's heir, he turned it down for other reasons._

_-XXX-_

_**NAME: **Ellerean_

_**OCCUPATION: **Mage of Khadein and one of Wendell's pupils._

_**NOTES: **An excellent mage that specializes in thunder magic. Although he's not quite as bitter as he once was, he's still chooses to view Merric as his rival._

_-XXX-_

_**NAME: **Horace_

_**OCCUPATION: **Former General of Akaneia._

_**NOTES: **I haven't seen him in action yet, so I can't really comment on him._

_-XXX-_

_**NAME: **Dice_

_**OCCUPATION: **Some wandering mercenary from parts unknown._

_**NOTES: **The only thing I can say about him is that he's really looking to make a fortune, which may explain why he asked for such a massive fee._

_-XXX-_

_**NAME: **Malice_

_**OCCUPATION: **Daughter of Dice, and also a wandering mercenary from parts unknown._

_**NOTES: **Like her father, she's also looking to make money. We'll see another day if she's got what it takes to remain with us._

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER**

_Well, one year has passed since this story was first written, and now another chapter is complete!_

_As always, if anyone has any reviews or commentary, I'll be listening._

_Until next time, farewell._


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